WALES

Departmental Job Vacancies

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many job vacancies there were at (a) administrative assistant or equivalent, (b) administrative officer or equivalent, (c) administrative executive officer, (d) higher executive officer, (e) senior executive officer, (f) grade 7 principal and (g) all positions above grade 7 level in his Department for jobs located in (i) London and (ii) the south-east between 1 April 2001 and 31 March 2002; and what is the total employment for each civil service grade.

Peter Hain: holding answer 28 October 2002
	My Department has offices in London and Cardiff. It is staffed entirely by secondees. The table shows the number of vacancies by grade as at 1 April 2001 against total employment for each grade in London.
	
		
			 Responsibility level Vacancies Total Staff 
		
		
			
			 Grades 6 and above — 2 
			 Grade 7 — 4 
			 Senior executive officer — 1 
			 Higher executive officer 1 9 
			 Executive officer — 9 
			 Administrative officer 3 8 
			 Administrative assistant 1 5 
			 Total non-industrial staff 5 38

Political Appointments (Salaries)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the salary costs are of political appointments made by him in 2002–03; and what the figures were in each of the last three years.

Peter Hain: The Secretary of State for Wales is entitled to appoint two special advisers. Special advisers are paid on national salary scales which apply to all Government Departments. The basic scale currently ranges from #34,851 to #45,760.

TRANSPORT

Air Transport Consultation

Andy King: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total cost was of the Department for Transport exhibition at the village of Church Lawford on 29 to 30 October regarding the Midlands New Site Option, contained in the National Consultation on the Future of Air Transport in the UK.

David Jamieson: The approximate cost of the exhibition for the Midlands New Site Option is #82,000.

Biofuels Directive

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on how he intends to implement the EU Biofuel Directive.

David Jamieson: Negotiations on the precise drafting of the Biofuels Directive are currently underway and the final form of the Directive has still to be agreed. Negotiations so far indicate it is likely that the key measure in the final version will be a requirement for member states to set indicative targets for 2005 and 2010 for the use of biofuels in transport. Transposition into UK law is likely to be via Regulations under the European Communities Act 1972.

Bus Services

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how he is ensuring improvements in off-peak frequency of bus services.

David Jamieson: Around 82 per cent. of bus services outside London are provided commercially and it is for the operators of those services to decide upon appropriate frequencies. Local authorities have powers to subsidise enhanced services outside peak hours.
	For rural areas local authorities can use their allocations from the Government's Rural Bus Subsidy Grant (RBSG) to fund off-peak services. RBSG allocations total #47.5 million in 2002–03, rising to #48.5 million in 2003–04.
	In London, where local transport is the responsibility of the Mayor, most routes now operate seven days a week and are sufficiently frequent throughout the day to allow passengers to use the network on a "turn-up-and-go" basis. Routes operating at low frequency are regularly reviewed to see whether higher frequencies are worthwhile.

Colne-Skipton Railway

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will commission an assessment of the feasibility of re-opening the Colne-Skipton railway.

David Jamieson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Transport on 8 February 2002, Official Report, column 1186W. The situation remains the same.

Congestion Charging

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to amend the Road User Charging (Enforcement and Adjudication) (London) Regulations 2001, pursuant to the Government undertaking to the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments of 19 October 2001.

David Jamieson: Following the recent consultation, I anticipate that the amendment regulations will be made shortly, in time for implementation of the central London congestion charging scheme in February 2003.

Disused Railway Track Beds

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent advice he has given to the (a) SRA and (b) planning authorities concerning the safeguarding of disused railway track beds.

David Jamieson: The Directions and Guidance the Secretary of State has issued to the Strategic Rail Authority require the Authority, when considering the disposal of land (including disused trackbeds), to have regard to the sites' transport potential and to avoid taking a short-term view. The Authority should look to the rail industry and local authorities to acquire sites with rail potential, but if these bodies do not purchase sites the Authority should consider whether they should be retained for rail use at a later date. The XPlanning Policy Guidance Note 13: Transport", issued to Local Planning Authorities, states that local authorities should identify, and protect sites and routes, both existing and potential, which could be critical in developing infrastructure for the movement of freight.

Firefighters' Strike

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what preparations he has made to ensure the safety and continuity of service to the public in the event of a firefighters' strike.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and the Regions (Mr Raynsford) on 28 October 2002, Official Report, column 527W.

Frethun Rail Freight Yard

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out the nature and extent of the financial contribution by the Strategic Rail Authority to the package of measures to increase security at the Fréthun Rail freight yard; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority has undertaken to contribute around half of the #7.5 million cost of fixed security installations at the Fréthun freight yard, by means of a freight facilities grant. The contribution is subject to the provision of project and budgetary information (which has now been received), confirmation of completion of works and an independent verification of the works by UK security experts.

Grassington (Rail Services)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will request the SRA to conduct a feasibility study into extending the railway from the quarry outside Grassington into the town itself.

David Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority's Strategic Plan outlines its proposals for future projects and their priorities. The Authority will update the plan annually.

Home Zones Scheme

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has made available through the Home Zones Scheme Capital Modernisation Fund since 2000; and how much has been (a) applied for and (b) spent in rural areas in (i) 2000–01, (ii) 2001–02 and (iii) 2002–03 to date.

David Jamieson: holding answer 31 October 2002
	The Department has made #30 million available through the Capital Modernisation Fund for Home Zones Challenge projects. The funding covers a three year period from 2002–03. Successful projects were announced on 11 January 2002. The Home Zones Challenge is specifically aimed at improving the design of streets in residential locations. There were no applications from rural areas.

Invalid Carriages

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will amend his code of practice for class 3 vehicle users to include advice on the safe off-road storage of invalid carriages.

David Jamieson: We are not aware of problems relating to safe off road storage of these vehicles but we would be happy to consider drawing up appropriate advice once we have information about the issue.

Loading Gauges

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which lines on the rail network have (a) W6a, (b) W6a-Pb and (c) Sb 1c loading gauge under Railtrack Group Standards; and if he will place copies of maps showing these lines in the Library.

David Jamieson: I understand that the information requested and a map of the gauge classification of routes on the national network are available from the Route Directory section of the Railtrack Freight Commercial Website at http://www.railtrack.co.uk/industry—partners/freight/index.cfm. The information is also available as a small scale map in Railtrack's 2002 Network Management Statement.

Local Transport Plans

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many planning authorities have included (a) new and (b) re-opened railways in their local transport plans in the last two years.

David Jamieson: Full information is not readily available in the form requested. However, in the five-year Local Transport Plans (LTPs) submitted in July 2000, and subsequent Annual Progress Reports on these, 12 local transport authorities in England outside London have included proposals for 16 rail-related major local transport schemes. Proposals are not categorised by whether they contain new or re-opened railways. In addition, all LTPs contain strategies which take account of the contribution rail can make towards their objectives.

Motorways

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason the southbound carriageway of the M1 motorway was closed on 6 October; and who authorised the closure.

John Spellar: On 6 October the southbound carriageway of the Ml in the area of Junction 21 had to be closed as a result of a fire in an outbuilding of a local farm, where gas cylinders containing potentially explosive gases were stored. Following consultation between Leicester County Fire Brigade and the Health and Safety Executive, a 200-metre exclusion zone was requested around the farm including a section of the motorway. Leicestershire police therefore closed the motorway until the risk of explosion had passed.

Public Transport (Disabled Access)

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what obligations there are on public transport providers to provide access for passengers with disabilities.

David Jamieson: Part V of the Disability Discrimination Act gives the Secretary of State powers to introduce regulations requiring public transport to be accessible to disabled people, including those who need to travel in a wheelchair. Under these regulations all new trains (including light rail and underground) which have come into service since January 1999 have been required to meet comprehensive accessibility standards. Similar regulations have applied since January 2000 to all new buses with a capacity of over 22 passengers used on local or scheduled service. Some requirements to help ambulant disabled people and those with visual impairment use coaches and smaller buses have also been introduced but full wheelchair access will not be required for these vehicles until January 2005 because of the technical and operational challenges that remain. Regulations, which came into force on 1 October this year, also place obligations on bus drivers and conductors to assist disabled passengers.
	Transport infrastructure, including bus and railway stations is covered by Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act which has placed duties on service providers since October 1999 to amend policies or practices which discriminate against disabled people. From October 2004 these duties will extend to the removal of physical barriers to access.

Railway Track Condition (East Lancashire)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the state of the railway track in east Lancashire; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: This is primarily a matter for Network Rail.

Reopened Railway Costs

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the estimated cost per week is of re-opening a closed railway where the trackbed is in good condition.

David Jamieson: It is not possible to give a generalised figure. The cost would depend on location, planned usage, the condition of existing or provision of new infrastructure, and a host of other factors. A meaningful cost estimate could only be made on a case by case basis, and would be unlikely to be best expressed as a 'cost per week'.

Road Accidents

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the Government oppose EU proposals to introduce a presumption of guilt on the part of the motorist in all cases of motorist/cyclist accidents.

David Jamieson: Proposals for a fifth motor insurance directive are at an early stage. It is not clear that a presumption of guilt on the part of the motorist is intended. The proposal states that there is no intention to 'prejudice the civil liability of the pedestrian or cyclist or the level of award for damages in a specific accident, under national legislation'.

Road Networks

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the 2002 National Road Maintenance Condition Survey to include the cost of outstanding repairs on the (a) local and (b) strategic road networks.

David Jamieson: The 2002 National Road Maintenance Condition Survey is being conducted on the same basis as in 2001 and previous years. Results will be published in April 2003.

Trust Port Boards

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport further to his answer of 29 October, Ref 78170, if he will list appointments he has made to trust port boards since January 2000 involving representatives of local authorities.

David Jamieson: Five such appointments have been made since January 2000, three to the Shoreham Port Authority, and two to the Milford Haven Port Authority as detailed in the following table.
	
		
			 Port authority Appointed 
			 Shoreham  
		
		
			 Councillor Bob Carden January 2002 
			 Councillor Pat Hawkes January 2002 
			 Councillor Neil Parkin January 2002 
			   
			 Milford Haven  
			 Councillor Eric Harries February 2000 
			 Councillor John Allen-Mirehouse April 2002

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Correspondence

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Leominster of 13 September, regarding the River Lugg Internal Drainage Board.

Elliot Morley: I regret that the Department has no record of receiving this correspondence.

Dog Licensing Scheme

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to introduce a dog licensing scheme for owners; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: This Government have considered the options for introducing a dog licensing scheme for owners very carefully. However, at present the Government are not planning to introduce a dog licensing scheme for dog owners. Defra does promote responsible dog ownership through byelaws, education and publicity.

Farm Mapping

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the level of accuracy is of the digital mapping of farms across the UK.

Alun Michael: The underlying digital mapping used for the digitisation of the IACS registered fields is the Ordnance Survey's latest digital product known as MasterMap. The accuracy levels are at least as good as those for the National Grid series previously used and the product is available from the Ordnance Survey.

Fish Stocks

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what analysis her Department has made of the share of Community fish stocks, by species, that fall under UK (a) 12 and (b) 200 mile/median line limits.

Elliot Morley: No such analysis has been carried out since for the most part the stock assessments are carried out by international scientists, not in relation to national waters, but by total ICES area. In any case, almost all of the main stocks fished in UK waters spend time also in the waters of other countries.

Fisheries

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what role she proposes for English regional assemblies in the governance of fisheries out to 12 nautical miles from the baseline.

Elliot Morley: None. The powers and functions of elected regional assemblies are fully set out in the regional governance White Paper XYour Region, Your Choice" (Cm 5511). These proposals have no implications for the governance of fisheries either within or outside 12 nautical miles from the baseline.

Flood and Coastal Defence

Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the local authorities who (a) have and (b) have not produced a policy statement under High Level Targets for flood and coastal defence.

Elliot Morley: Defra and the Environment Agency have received policy statements from 219 of the 354 local authorities expected to produce them. We have received 12 statements since the report on High Level Target 1 was compiled in April 2002; however there are still 135 outstanding statements.
	The following local authorities have produced policy statements:
	
		
			  
		
		
			 Adur District Council Allerdale Borough Council 
			 Alnwick District Council Amber Valley Borough Council 
			 Arun District Council Ashford Borough Council 
			 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council 
			 Bassetlaw District Council Bedford Borough Council 
			 Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council Bexley London Borough Council 
			 Birmingham City Council Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council 
			 Blackpool Borough Council Blyth Valley Borough Council 
			 Bolsover District Council Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Bournemouth Borough Council Braintree District Council 
			 Bristol City Council Bromley London Borough Council 
			 Broxtowe Borough Council Burnley Borough Council 
			 Bury Metropolitan Borough Council Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Camden London Borough Council Canterbury City Council 
			 Caradon District Council Carlisle City Council 
			 Castle Morpeth Borough Council Charnwood Borough Council 
			 Cheltenham Borough Council Cherwell District Council 
			 Chester City Council Chesterfield Borough Council 
			 Chichester District Council Chorley Borough Council 
			 Christchurch Borough Council Congleton Borough Council 
			 Copeland Borough Council Cotswold District Council 
			 Coventry City Council Darlington Borough Council 
			 Daventry District Council Derby City Council 
			 Derwentside District Council Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Dover District Council Durham City Council 
			 Easington District Council East Devon District Council 
			 East Dorset District Council East Hampshire District Council 
			 East Northamptonshire District Council East Riding of Yorkshire Council 
			 East Staffordshire Borough Council Eastbourne Borough Council 
			 Eastleigh Borough Council Eden District Council 
			 Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council 
			 Elmbridge Borough Council Enfield London Borough Council 
			 Epping Forest District Council Epsom and Ewell Borough Council 
			 Erewash Borough Council Exeter City Council 
			 Fareham Borough Council Fylde Borough Council 
			 Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Counci Gedling Borough Council 
			 Gloucester City Council Gosport Borough Council 
			 Gravesham Borough Council Great Yarmouth Borough Council 
			 Halton Borough Council Hambleton District Council 
			 Harrogate Borough Council Harrow London Borough Council 
			 Hart District Council Hartlepool Borough Council 
			 Hastings Borough Council Havant Borough Council 
			 Hertsmere Borough Council Horsham District Council 
			 Hounslow London Borough Council Huntingdonshire District Council 
			 Hyndburn Borough Council Ipswich Borough Council 
			 Isle of Wight Council Isles of Scilly Council 
			 Kennet District Council Kerrier District Council 
			 Kingston upon Hull City Council Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council Lancaster City Council 
			 Leeds City Council Lewes District Council 
			 Lichfield District Council Liverpool City Council 
			 Luton Borough Council Macclesfield Borough Council 
			 Manchester City Council Mansfield District Council 
			 Medway Council Melton Borough Council 
			 Mid Bedfordshire District Council Mid Suffolk District Council 
			 Mid Sussex District Council Middlesbrough Borough Council 
			 Mole Valley District Council New Forest District Council 
			 Newark & Sherwood District Council Newcastle upon Tyne City Council 
			 North Cornwall District Council North Devon District Council 
			 North Dorset District Council North East Derbyshire District Council 
			 North East Lincolnshire Council North Lincolnshire Council 
			 North Norfolk District Council North Shropshire District Council 
			 North Somerset Council North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough 
			 Council North Warwickshire Borough Council 
			 Northampton Borough Council Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council 
			 Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council Oswestry Borough Council 
			 Pendle Borough Council Peterborough City Council 
			 Poole Borough Council Portsmouth City Council 
			 Preston Borough Council Purbeck District Council 
			 Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council Redditch Borough Council 
			 Reigate and Banstead Borough Council Restormel Borough Council 
			 Ribble Valley Borough Council Richmondshire District Council 
			 Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council Rossendale Borough Council 
			 Rother District Council Rotherham Borough Council 
			 Rugby Borough Council Runnymede Borough Council 
			 Rushcliffe Borough Council Ryedale District Council 
			 Salford City Council Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Scarborough Borough Council Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Sevenoaks District Council Sheffield City Council 
			 Dover District Council Durham City Council 
			 Easington District Council East Devon District Council 
			 East Dorset District Council East Hampshire District Council 
			 East Northamptonshire District Council East Riding of Yorkshire Council 
			 East Staffordshire Borough Council Eastbourne Borough Council 
			 Eastleigh Borough Council Eden District Council 
			 Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council 
			 Elmbridge Borough Council Enfield London Borough Council 
			 Epping Forest District Council Epsom and Ewell Borough Council 
			 Erewash Borough Council Exeter City Council 
			 Fareham Borough Council Fylde Borough Council 
			 Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Counci Gedling Borough Council 
			 Gloucester City Council Gosport Borough Council 
			 Gravesham Borough Council Great Yarmouth Borough Council 
			 Halton Borough Council Hambleton District Council 
			 Harrogate Borough Council Harrow London Borough Council 
			 Hart District Council Hartlepool Borough Council 
			 Hastings Borough Council Havant Borough Council 
			 Hertsmere Borough Council Horsham District Council 
			 Hounslow London Borough Council Huntingdonshire District Council 
			 Hyndburn Borough Council Ipswich Borough Council 
			 Isle of Wight Council Isles of Scilly Council 
			 Kennet District Council Kerrier District Council 
			 Kingston upon Hull City Council Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council Lancaster City Council 
			 Leeds City Council Lewes District Council 
			 Lichfield District Council Liverpool City Council 
			 Luton Borough Council Macclesfield Borough Council 
			 Manchester City Council Mansfield District Council 
			 Medway Council Melton Borough Council 
			 Mid Bedfordshire District Council Mid Suffolk District Council 
			 Mid Sussex District Council Middlesbrough Borough Council 
			 Mole Valley District Council New Forest District Council 
			 Newark & Sherwood District Council Newcastle upon Tyne City Council 
			 North Cornwall District Council North Devon District Council 
			 North Dorset District Council North East Derbyshire District Council 
			 North East Lincolnshire Council North Lincolnshire Council 
			 North Norfolk District Council North Shropshire District Council 
			 North Somerset Council North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough 
			 Council North Warwickshire Borough Council 
			 Northampton Borough Council Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council 
			 Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council Oswestry Borough Council 
			 Pendle Borough Council Peterborough City Council 
			 Poole Borough Council Portsmouth City Council 
			 Preston Borough Council Purbeck District Council 
			 Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council Redditch Borough Council 
			 Reigate and Banstead Borough Council Restormel Borough Council 
			 Ribble Valley Borough Council Richmondshire District Council 
			 Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council Rossendale Borough Council 
			 Rother District Council Rotherham Borough Council 
			 Rugby Borough Council Runnymede Borough Council 
			 Rushcliffe Borough Council Ryedale District Council 
			 Salford City Council Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Scarborough Borough Council Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Sevenoaks District Council Sheffield City Council 
			 Shepway District Council South Cambridgeshire District Council 
			 South Gloucestershire Council South Northamptonshire District Council 
			 South Ribble Borough Council South Staffordshire District Council 
			 South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Southampton City Council Southwark London Borough Council 
			 St Edmundsbury Borough Council St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Stafford Borough Council Staffordshire Moorlands District Council 
			 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council 
			 Stoke-on-Trent City Council Stroud District Council 
			 Suffolk Coastal District Council Sunderland City Council 
			 Surrey Heath Borough Council Sutton London Borough Council 
			 Swale Borough Council Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Tamworth Borough Council Tandridge District Council 
			 Taunton Deane Borough Council Teignbridge District Council 
			 Telford and Wrekin Council Tendring District Council 
			 Test Valley Borough Council Tewkesbury Borough Council 
			 Thanet District Council Tonbridge & Mailing Borough Council 
			 Torbay Borough Council Torridge District Council 
			 Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council Tynedale District Council 
			 Vale of White Horse District Council Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Wansbeck District Council Warrington Council 
			 Warwick District Council Waveney District Council 
			 Waverley Borough Council Wealden District Council 
			 Wear Valley District Council Wellingborough District Council 
			 Welwyn Hatfield District Council West Devon Borough Council 
			 West Dorset District Council West Lancashire District Council 
			 West Oxfordshire District Council Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Winchester City Council Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Woking Borough Council Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough 
			 Council Worcester City Council 
			 Worthing Borough Council Wychavon District Council 
			 Wycombe District Council Wyre Borough Council 
			 York City Council The following local authorities have not produced policy statements: 
			 Ashfield District Council Aylesbury Vale District Council 
			 Babergh District Council Barking and Dagenham London 
			 Borough Council Barnet London Borough Council 
			 Basildon District Council Basingstoke and Deane Borough 
			 Council Bath & North East Somerset Council 
			 Blaby District Council Boston Borough Council 
			 Bracknell Forest Borough Council Bradford City Council 
			 Breckland Council Brent London Borough Council 
			 Brentwood Borough Council Bridgnorth District Council 
			 Brighton and Hove Council Broadland District Council 
			 Bromsgrove District Council Broxbourne Borough Council 
			 Cambridge City Council Cannock Chase District Council 
			 Carrick District Council Castle Point Borough Council 
			 Chelmsford Borough Council Chester-le-Street District Council 
			 Chiltern District Council City of London 
			 Colchester Borough Council Corby Borough Council 
			 Craven District Council Crawley Borough Council 
			 Crewe & Nantwich Borough Council Croydon London Borough Council 
			 Dacorum Borough Council Dartford Borough Council 
			 Dover District Council Durham City Council 
			 Easington District Council East Devon District Council 
			 East Dorset District Council East Hampshire District Council 
			 East Northamptonshire District Council East Riding of Yorkshire Council 
			 East Staffordshire Borough Council Eastbourne Borough Council 
			 Eastleigh Borough Council Eden District Council 
			 Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council 
			 Elmbridge Borough Council Enfield London Borough Council 
			 Epping Forest District Council Epsom and Ewell Borough Council 
			 Erewash Borough Council Exeter City Council 
			 Fareham Borough Council Fylde Borough Council 
			 Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Counci Gedling Borough Council 
			 Gloucester City Council Gosport Borough Council 
			 Gravesham Borough Council Great Yarmouth Borough Council 
			 Halton Borough Council Hambleton District Council 
			 Harrogate Borough Council Harrow London Borough Council 
			 Hart District Council Hartlepool Borough Council 
			 Hastings Borough Council Havant Borough Council 
			 Hertsmere Borough Council Horsham District Council 
			 Hounslow London Borough Council Huntingdonshire District Council 
			 Hyndburn Borough Council Ipswich Borough Council 
			 Isle of Wight Council Isles of Scilly Council 
			 Kennet District Council Kerrier District Council 
			 Kingston upon Hull City Council Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council Lancaster City Council 
			 Leeds City Council Lewes District Council 
			 Lichfield District Council Liverpool City Council 
			 Luton Borough Council Macclesfield Borough Council 
			 Manchester City Council Mansfield District Council 
			 Medway Council Melton Borough Council 
			 Mid Bedfordshire District Council Mid Suffolk District Council 
			 Mid Sussex District Council Middlesbrough Borough Council 
			 Mole Valley District Council New Forest District Council 
			 Newark & Sherwood District Council Newcastle upon Tyne City Council 
			 North Cornwall District Council North Devon District Council 
			 North Dorset District Council North East Derbyshire District Council 
			 North East Lincolnshire Council North Lincolnshire Council 
			 North Norfolk District Council North Shropshire District Council 
			 North Somerset Council North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough 
			 Council North Warwickshire Borough Council 
			 Northampton Borough Council Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council 
			 Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council Oswestry Borough Council 
			 Pendle Borough Council Peterborough City Council 
			 Poole Borough Council Portsmouth City Council 
			 Preston Borough Council Purbeck District Council 
			 Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council Redditch Borough Council 
			 Reigate and Banstead Borough Council Restormel Borough Council 
			 Ribble Valley Borough Council Richmondshire District Council 
			 Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council Rossendale Borough Council 
			 Rother District Council Rotherham Borough Council 
			 Rugby Borough Council Runnymede Borough Council 
			 Rushcliffe Borough Council Ryedale District Council 
			 Salford City Council Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Scarborough Borough Council Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Sevenoaks District Council Sheffield City Council 
			 Shepway District Council South Cambridgeshire District Council 
			 South Gloucestershire Council South Northamptonshire District Council 
			 South Ribble Borough Council South Staffordshire District Council 
			 South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Southampton City Council Southwark London Borough Council 
			 St Edmundsbury Borough Council St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Stafford Borough Council Staffordshire Moorlands District Council 
			 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council 
			 Stoke-on-Trent City Council Stroud District Council 
			 Suffolk Coastal District Council Sunderland City Council 
			 Surrey Heath Borough Council Sutton London Borough Council 
			 Swale Borough Council Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Tamworth Borough Council Tandridge District Council 
			 Taunton Deane Borough Council Teignbridge District Council 
			 Telford and Wrekin Council Tendring District Council 
			 Test Valley Borough Council Tewkesbury Borough Council 
			 Thanet District Council Tonbridge & Mailing Borough Council 
			 Torbay Borough Council Torridge District Council 
			 Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council Tynedale District Council 
			 Vale of White Horse District Council Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Wansbeck District Council Warrington Council 
			 Warwick District Council Waveney District Council 
			 Waverley Borough Council Wealden District Council 
			 Wear Valley District Council Wellingborough District Council 
			 Welwyn Hatfield District Council West Devon Borough Council 
			 West Dorset District Council West Lancashire District Council 
			 West Oxfordshire District Council Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Winchester City Council Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Woking Borough Council Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough 
			 Council Worcester City Council 
			 Worthing Borough Council Wychavon District Council 
			 Wycombe District Council Wyre Borough Council 
			 York City Council The following local authorities have not produced policy statements: 
			 Ashfield District Council Aylesbury Vale District Council 
			 Babergh District Council Barking and Dagenham London 
			 Borough Council Barnet London Borough Council 
			 Basildon District Council Basingstoke and Deane Borough 
			 Council Bath & North East Somerset Council 
			 Blaby District Council Boston Borough Council 
			 Bracknell Forest Borough Council Bradford City Council 
			 Breckland Council Brent London Borough Council 
			 Brentwood Borough Council Bridgnorth District Council 
			 Brighton and Hove Council Broadland District Council 
			 Bromsgrove District Council Broxbourne Borough Council 
			 Cambridge City Council Cannock Chase District Council 
			 Carrick District Council Castle Point Borough Council 
			 Chelmsford Borough Council Chester-le-Street District Council 
			 Chiltern District Council City of London 
			 Colchester Borough Council Corby Borough Council 
			 Craven District Council Crawley Borough Council 
			 Crewe & Nantwich Borough Council Croydon London Borough Council 
			 Dacorum Borough Council Dartford Borough Council 
			 Derbyshire Dales District Council Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Ealing London Borough Council East Cambridgeshire District Council 
			 East Hertfordshire District Council East Lindsey District Council 
			 Fenland District Council Forest Heath District Council 
			 Forest of Dean District Council Greenwich London Borough Council 
			 Guildford Borough Council Hackney London Borough Council 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council 
			 Harborough District Council Haringey London Borough Council 
			 Harlow District Council Havering London Borough Council 
			 Herefordshire Council High Peak Borough Council 
			 Hillingdon London Borough Council Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council 
			 Islington London Borough Council Kensington and Chelsea Royal Borough 
			 Kettering Borough Council King's Lynn & West Norfolk Borough 
			 Council Kingston upon Thames Royal Borough 
			 Lambeth London Borough Council Leicester City Council 
			 Lewisham London Borough Council Lincoln City Council 
			 Maidstone Borough Council Maldon District Council 
			 Malvern Hills District Council Mendip District Council 
			 Merton London Borough Council Mid Devon District Council 
			 Milton Keynes Council Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council 
			 Newham London Borough Council North Hertfordshire District Council 
			 North Kesteven District Council North West Leicestershire District 
			 Council North Wiltshire District Council 
			 Norwich City Council Nottingham City Council 
			 Oadby and Wigston Borough Council Oxford City Council 
			 Penwith District Council Plymouth City Council 
			 Reading Borough Council Redbridge London Borough Council 
			 Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council 
			 Rochford District Council Rushmoor Borough Council 
			 Salisbury District Council Sedgefield Borough Council 
			 Sedgemoor District Council Selby District Council 
			 Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council Slough Borough Council 
			 Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council South Bedfordshire District Council 
			 South Bucks District Council South Derbyshire District Council 
			 South Hams District Council South Holland District Council 
			 South Kesteven District Council South Lakeland District Council 
			 South Norfolk District Council South Oxfordshire District Council 
			 South Shropshire District Council South Somerset District Council 
			 Southend-on-Sea Borough Council Spelthorne Borough Council 
			 St Albans District Council Stevenage Borough Council 
			 Stratford-on-Avon District Council Swindon Borough Council 
			 Teesdale District Council Telford and Wrekin Council 
			 Three Rivers District Council Thurrock Borough Council 
			 Tower Hamlets London Borough Council Tunbridge Wells Borough Council 
			 Uttlesford District Council Vale Royal Borough Council 
			 Wakefield City Council Waltham Forest London Borough 
			 Council Wandsworth London Borough Council 
			 Watford Borough Council West Berkshire Council 
			 West Lindsey District Council West Somerset District Council 
			 West Wiltshire District Council Westminster City Council 
			 Weymouth & Portland Borough Council Windsor & Maidenhead Royal Borough 
			 Wokingham Council Wyre Forest District Council

Foot and Mouth

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library the documentation and advice given in respect of tax treatment of grants given under the Foot and Mouth Recovery Fund.

Alun Michael: It is for the Inland Revenue and local tax offices to advise on the tax treatment of income, including Business Recovery Fund grants.

Livestock Movements

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to require the computers at the RPA and the BCMS to be made compatible; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: The new computer system being developed for bovine schemes under the RPA Change Programme will provide interfaces to current systems such as the BCMS database.
	A major investment in IT improvements is also being made at the BCMS. The system will be moved onto a more secure platform and a facility will be developed to provide for the issue of Xstatements" to producers showing details of the animals recorded on their holdings.

Public Paths

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many roads used as public paths have yet to have their usage reviewed by the relevant surveying authority in accordance with the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Alun Michael: A highway authority survey carried out in 1999 found that 4,166 roads used as a public path have been reclassified in accordance with section 54 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, with 3,305 still to be reviewed.

Recruitment (Over-50s)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of new recruits to her Department in the past two years were aged 50 and over.

Alun Michael: Information is available from the date of the creation of the new Department (Defra) on 9 June 2001.
	The percentage of new recruits to core-Defra, between 9 June 2001 and 31
	March 2002, who were aged 50 or over, is 7.2 per cent.

Religious Slaughter

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to improve the welfare of animals slaughtered by religious methods; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: There are already detailed requirements governing the religious slaughter of animals and birds laid down in Schedule 12 of the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995 (as amended). Although we are currently in the process of making some further amendments to the regulations, none of these changes are to Schedule 12. However we are in the process of producing draft Codes of Practice on the slaughter of animals and poultry, including religious slaughter, with the aim of improving the welfare of animals and birds at slaughter. In addition, the Farm Animal Welfare Council (the Government's advisory body on farmed animal welfare matters) is currently preparing a report on the welfare of farmed livestock (red meat animals) at slaughter, including livestock slaughtered by religious methods.

Research and Development

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent by her Department and its predecessors on research and development in each of the last 15 years broken down by category.

Alun Michael: Breaking down the figure spent on research and development programmes, by category, for DEFRA, former MAFF, DETR and DOE for each of the last 15 years could be achieved only at disproportionate cost. A full picture of the current DEFRA research programme, including details of all projects, can be found on the DEFRA website http://www.defra.gov.uk/research.

Sea Angling

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list those who have expressed interest in her proposal for research into the economic contribution of sea angling.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 30 October 2002
	Defra holds in confidence details of the institutions expressing an interest because the information is commercially sensitive and its disclosure might create difficulties for the remainder of the tender exercise. It would therefore be inappropriate to give details of the institutions. The identity of the researcher who is selected will be made public once the contract has been let.

Third Countries Fisheries Agreements

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list those third countries with which the EU has concluded mutual fisheries agreements; and how much Community money has been granted to each state.

Elliot Morley: There are currently 20 fisheries agreements in force between the European Community and third countries. These can be classified into three main types:
	Reciprocal-where community fishermen obtain rights to fish in the waters of a third country and in return fishermen from the third country have rights to fish in EU waters;
	Classical-where the European Union pays for access for EU vessels to fish in the waters of a third country and where skippers pay for licences and in some cases for the amount of fish caught; and
	Mixed-a mixture of both the reciprocal and classical.
	The table shows the third countries with which the EU has fisheries agreements, the type of agreement and the sum paid by the EU where applicable.
	
		euro 
		
			 Third Country Agreements 
			 Country Agreement type Annual cost 2002 
		
		
			 Angola classical 15,500,000 
			 Cape Verde classical 680,000 
			 Comores classical 350,250 
			 Faroe reciprocal — 
			 Gabon classical 1,262,500 
			 Greenland mixed 42,820,000 
			 Guinea Bissau classical 10,000,000 
			 Republic of Guinea classical 2,960,000 
			 Iceland reciprocal — 
			 Ivory Coast classical 957,500 
			 Lithuania mixed — 
			 Madagascar classical 825,000 
			 Mauritania classical 86,000,000 
			 Mauritius classical 825,000 
			 Norway reciprocal — 
			 Poland reciprocal — 
			 Russia reciprocal — 
			 Sao Tomé e Principe classical 925,000 
			 Senegal classical 16,000,000 
			 Seychelles classical 3,480,000

Vital Villages Initiative

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the budget is for 2002–03 of the vital villages initiative; and what the future projections for this figure are.

Alun Michael: The budget for vital villages for 2002–03 is #10.41million, which is split as follows:
	Parish plans: #1.35 million
	Community service grants: #4.82 million
	Parish transport grants: #4.24 million
	Future projections will emerge from the current corporate planning process following the outcome of the 2002 Spending Review.

Water (Unpowered Craft Access)

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what further progress she has made on increasing access to water for non-powered craft; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: Our research report, Water-Based Sport and Recreation: the facts was published in December 2001. This is a wide-ranging report which touches on the responsibilities of several Government Departments and agencies and we have been working with them in deciding how best to take this forward.
	While none of the issues are new or straightforward to resolve, I am committed to finding solutions wherever possible.
	As a first step I have asked the Countryside Agency (in partnership with other agencies) to pilot some demonstration projects to develop best practice for access agreements on key stretches of water.

Water Framework Directive

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how she will ensure that transposition of the Water Framework Directive in England and Wales will contribute to the mitigation of floods and droughts.

Elliot Morley: The Directive is concerned with achieving water quality objectives (article 4). While it does not set objectives for flood and drought mitigation, the overall effect of the actions to protect and improve water quality required by the Directive will contribute to mitigating the effects of floods and droughts (article 1(e)).
	Draft regulations to transpose the Directive, including articles 1 and 4 will be included in a consultation paper to be published next year.
	In addition, my Department will be working closely with the Environment Agency and others to ensure appropriate links are made between river basin management and flood risk management planning.

Water Policy

Barbara Follett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she will be publishing the water policy document for England.

Elliot Morley: The document entitled "Directing the Flow—priorities for future water policy" will be published on 5 November. It is intended to be a high-level policy document and strengthens the integration of water policy with other policy areas. The document takes the first steps towards setting out our strategic aims and summarising our proposed future priorities and direction for the water environment, water resources and water management. It aims to take a long-term view, looking at the next 20 years and beyond and setting the context within which specific actions will need to be taken. Copies of the document will be deposited in the House Libraries and will also be available on DEFRA's internet site (www.defra.gov.uk/environment/water/index.htm).

CABINET OFFICE

Digital Television

Bill Tynan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office for what reason UK online interactive is (a) being solely provided on British Sky Broadcasting digital television and (b) not being provided on BBC digital television.

Douglas Alexander: It is our continued intention to make UK online interactive available on all available digital television platforms where technically possible. We are working to do this.
	The BBC operates two of the six UK digital television multiplexes but were unable to make these available to UK online interactive due to the lack of capacity. We are actively exploring the opportunity to use one of the remaining multiplexes not controlled by the BBC.

Nuclear Waste

Michael Weir: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with eight coastal local authorities along the possible route of ships carrying nuclear waste from Japan to Sellafield on the subject of emergency planning.

David Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
	I understand there are no plans for the shipment of nuclear waste from Japan to Sellafield at this time. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency discuss emergency planning with coastal local authorities on a general basis and not related to specific shipments.

Nuclear Waste

Michael Weir: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with the (a) Government of the Republic of Ireland, (b) National Assembly for Wales, (c) Northern Irish Assembly and (d) Scottish Executive on the subject of emergency planning in respect of ships carrying nuclear waste to Sellafield.

David Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
	I have had no discussions with any of the bodies mentioned, however the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have been in discussions with officials from the Government of the Republic of Ireland on a more general emergency response basis.

UK Online Interactive Project

Bill Tynan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the consequences for phase one of the UK online interactive project were of the end of ITV interactive's involvement.

Douglas Alexander: ITV Digital closed its interactive services on 1 May 2002. From that point onwards some 225,000 previous ITV Active subscribers were not able to access UK online interactive using ITV digital equipment. The UK online interactive service continued to be available to about 7 million users of Sky digital receivers.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Benefit Initiatives

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her answer of 24 July 2002, Official Report, column 1349W, if she will, for each pilot and pathfinder initiative listed, give the criteria for the selection of the local authorities benefiting; whether all local authorities were invited to apply; by what criteria invitations to apply were allocated; where local authorities were invited to apply; which did so; and whether elements of local authority matched funding were required.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

Child Deprivation (Funding)

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the maximum extra funding is that a child can receive under the ethnicity and other factors.

Stephen Twigg: The existing Education Standard Spending Assessment does not identify children with additional educational needs, so it is not possible to give the maximum funding that an LEA receives for a child through ethnicity and other factors. Under the proposals issued for consultation on 8 July, the number of children with additional educational needs due to poverty and ethnicity or language needs is estimated for each authority, which receives a top-up for each such child, either for poverty or for ethnicity or language needs, but not for both. Decisions on the top-ups, and their level, will be announced by the beginning of December.

Connexions

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent to date by the Connexions service on (a) literature design, (b) printing of literature and (c) consultancy fees related to the production of literature for each region in which it operates.

Stephen Twigg: holding answer 28 October 2002
	The amounts spent by Connexions Partnerships on literature (which is interpreted here as promotional material) vary according to the length of time partnerships have been operational. (The first phase of partnerships went live in April 2001 and the most recent in October 2002.) The table presents regional data on partnerships' cumulative expenditure from the date they went live. It has not been possible in all cases to disaggregate figures for design, printing and consultancy as some partnerships group these together and/or contract with one provider to supply all three services (these appear as Xmerged costs" in the table).
	
		Connexions partnership spend to date on literature by region
		
			 # 
			 Region Total spend Design Print Consultancy Merged costs 
		
		
			 North West 390,612 — — — 390,612 
			 West Midlands 341,588 12,930 50,855 7,453 270,350 
			 London 251,321 32,205 90,341 25,375 103,400 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 154,002 29,669 39,383 15,242 69,708 
			 South West 144,674 16,390 78,650 — 49,634 
			 South East 69,093 3,750 7,960 — 57,383 
			 East 61,695 8,189 25,756 1,750 26,000 
			 East Midlands 34,069 — — — 34,069 
			 North East 47,361 — — — 47,361

Construction Industry

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his latest estimate is of the number of vacancies in the construction industry in each region of the country.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 31 October 2002
	I have been asked to reply.
	The Information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr Charles Hendry, dated 4th November 2002
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question concerning the latest estimate of the number of vacancies in the construction industry in each region of the country (78480).
	The only comprehensive information about current job vacancies analysed by industry is the new monthly enterprise-based ONS Vacancy Survey, which at this stage is being published on an experimental basis. According to this survey there were 21,400 job vacancies in the construction industry on average for the period July to September 2002 for the United Kingdom as a whole. The design of the sample survey means it is not presently possible to provide regional analysis of vacancies on a reliable basis.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he intends to reply in full to the letter to his predecessor dated 22 August 2002 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Geoffrey Walker.

Stephen Twigg: A reply was issued on 12 September.

Education Funding

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment his Department has made of Option 5 in the review of the level of funding for education.

David Miliband: I refer my hon Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Totnes (Mr. Steen) on 24 October 2002, Official Report, column 399.

Education SSA

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many of the authorities that have more than 10 per cent. of children in their schools, whose mother tongue is believed not to be English, spent below their education SSA in the last year for which figures are available.

David Miliband: The table shows, for those authorities where there are more than 10 per cent. of pupils in primary and secondary schools whose mother tongue is known or believed not to be English, the difference between budgeted spend and Education Standard Spending Assessment, for 2002–03. Of the 49 LEAs in this category, 33 budgeted to spend above Education SSA for 2002–03.
	
		# million
		
			  SSA Spend Difference 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 102.9 103.2 0.3 
			 Barnet 161.9 164.1 2.1 
			 Birmingham 578.5 605.5 27.1 
			 Blackburn 79.2 81.5 2.3 
			 Bolton 134.8 135.0 0.3 
			 Bradford 267.3 259.1 (8.2) 
			 Brent 144.5 135.5 (9.0) 
			 Camden 103.0 106.8 3.7 
			 City of London 1.0 2.3 1.3 
			 Coventry 155.5 161.9 6.4 
			 Croydon 169.2 170.5 1.2 
			 Derby 112.7 112.5 (0.3) 
			 Ealing 152.7 154.4 1.7 
			 Enfield 170.02 168.2 (2.0) 
			 Greenwich 145.0 141.8 (3.2) 
			 Hackney 120.7 112.7 (8.0) 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 77.0 77.0 0.1 
			 Haringey 134.3 134.3 0.0 
			 Harrow 95.8 97.3 1.4 
			 Hillingdon 134.1 132.4 (1.7) 
			 Hounslow 126.4 124.9 (1.5) 
			 Islington 104.5 104.7 0.2 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 48.7 50.1 1.4 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 64.9 67.0 2.1 
			 Kirklees 188.7 186.9 (1.7) 
			 Lambeth 130.9 131.2 0.3 
			 Leicester 150.8 151.5 0.7 
			 Lewisham 147.1 147.8 0.7 
			 Luton 102.8 103.0 0.2 
			 Manchester 232.5 231.7 (0.8) 
			 Merton 74.8 75.6 0.7 
			 Newham 190.2 183.2 (7.0) 
			 Nottingham City 128.7 132.7 4.0 
			 Oldham 122.3 123.8 1.6 
			 Peterborough 92.6 91.4 (1.2) 
			 Reading 55.0 56.0 1.0 
			 Redbridge 144.7 142.2 (2.5) 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 60.7 65.0 4.4 
			 Rochdale 111.1 109.6 (1.6) 
			 Sandwell 152.6 154.6 2.0 
			 Slough 70.2 68.3 (1.9) 
			 Southwark 149.8 149.8 0.0 
			 Tower Hamlets 167.8 170.0 2.1 
			 Walsall 143.1 144.0 0.9 
			 Waltham Forest 131.5 133.5 2.0 
			 Wandsworth 112.2 108.8 (3.4) 
			 Westminster 79.7 87.0 7.3 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 61.1 61.5 0.4 
			 Wolverhampton 128.1 129.9 1.7

Education SSA

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the SSA per head is in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Staffordshire.

David Miliband: In 2002–03 Staffordshire's Education SSA per primary pupil (aged 5–10) is #2,450 and per secondary pupil (aged 11–15) is #3,140.
	Note:
	Figures in cash terms rounded to the nearest #10

Ethnicity

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what factors other than language are measured in the ethnicity factor; and what proportion of the ethnicity factor is based on additional language criteria.

Stephen Twigg: The ethnicity factor in the existing Education Standard Spending Assessment is measured by country of birth data taken from the 1991 national census. Under the proposals issued for consultation on 8 July, two factors are proposed for ethnicity, both taken from the Annual Schools' Census: the first relates to the number of children with language needs; the second relates to the numbers of children in certain low achieving ethnic groups. Decisions on the proportion of funding to be distributed using each factor will be announced by the beginning of December.

EU Structural Funds

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what money is planned to pass between the Department and (a)the European Social Fund and (b) the European Regional Development Fund in (i) 2002–03 and (ii) 2003–04.

Margaret Hodge: Overall #502 million of ESF is available in England in 2002–03 and #512 million in 2003–04. The figures for ERDF are #421 million in 2002–03 and #532 million in 2003–04. A significant proportion of ESF and a small proportion of ERDF support the Department for Education and Skills' policy objectives in the English regions. In addition, the Department plans to use #11 million of ESF in 2002–03 and #30 million in 2003–04 to support the development of its national policies and programmes.

Examinations

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the initial total cost was including production, printing, marking and moderation of (a) KS1 SATS, (b) KS2 SATS, (c) KS3 SATS, (d) GCSE, (e) AS, (f) A Level and (g) A2 for all schools in England and Wales for each of the years from 1997–98 to 2001–02.

David Miliband: The breakdown of expenditure for the KS SATS (England) and GCSE and A Level (England and Wales is as follows:
	
		# million 
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 KS1 SATS 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.9 2.2 
			 KS2 SATS 3.1 10.5 10.6 11.4 12.2 
			 KS3 SATS 3.5 10.5 11.0 11.9 13.0 
			 KS SATS 1–3 total 8.2 22.6 23.3 25.2 27.4 
			 GCSE 86.0 92.7 95.8 102.0 108.9 
			 A Level 36.4 42.4 44.4 59.5 64.6 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Because of budgeting methods, the individual KS1–3 SATS figures are an indicative breakdown of the KS SATs subtotals.
	2. Figures for KS SATS for 1997–98 are from 1 October 1997 (when QCA commenced operations).
	3. Figures for A Level include AS and A2.
	4. Figures for GCSE and A-Level for 2001–02 are estimates.

F40 Group

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had with the F40 group in the review of local government education funding formula to provide a more even funding system for rural and inner city schools.

David Miliband: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood (Paddy Tipping) on 24 October 2002, Official Report, column 460W.

Free School Milk

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures he is taking to promote free milk in schools for children aged up to 11; and if he will list education authorities in the UK which provide free school milk for those aged up to (a) seven and (b) 11 years.

Stephen Twigg: The Department supports the provision of free and paid for milk in schools and encourages schools and LEAs to offer it to pupils. Following a 20 percent reduction of the EU subsidy on school milk from January 2001, this Department jointly agreed with the Department of Health and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to top up the 1.5m shortfall. This helped to prevent possible increased costs of school milk provision. This Department does not collect statistics on school milk provision.

Funding Gap

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of funding is distributed under the AEN for (a) deprivation, (b) ethnicity and (c) area cost adjustment; what criteria are used to access the need for increased funding for ethnicity in secondary and primary schools; and what plans she has to reduce the funding gap between schools.

David Miliband: Under the current system of education standard spending assessments, 19 per cent. of funding is distributed according to additional educational needs, of which 17 per cent. is for deprivation and 2 per cent. is related to ethnicity (as measured by country of birth data taken from the 1991 national census). A further 4 per cent. is distributed through the area cost adjustment. The level of extra funding for ethnicity in the current system is determined by analysis of the spending patterns of local authorities from 1990–91. In the new system of education funding assessments, which will be introduced for 2003–04, the level of extra funding for additional educational needs will be decided on the basis of evidence about pupil characteristics and cost of provision. This will determine the distribution of funding between authorities and will be announced with the local authority finance settlement by early December.

Higher Education

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will consult students on the findings of the review of higher education;

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the Government will consult students on the outcome of the review of higher education.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 28 October 2002
	We plan to publish a strategy document setting out our 10-year vision for the development and reform of higher education in January. Once the document is published there will be opportunity for all interested parties to respond.

Higher Education (Lecturers' Pay)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects to achieve the equalisation of pay between further education college and sixth form college lecturers.

Margaret Hodge: Colleges in the further education (FE) sector, including sixth form colleges, are independent corporations with their own pay arrangements. Colleges agree annual pay rises and conditions of employment with their staff in the context of local priorities and the overall resources available to them. There is a nationally recommended pay increase agreed by the employers' representative bodies and the unions but pay arrangements in the sector are diverse, reflecting colleges' local flexibility. Government have no plans to change this arrangement.
	Extra resources have been made available to the FE sector. This year, #4.4 billion has been allocated to FE, an increase of #1.2 billion in five years. Within this, there is #142 million available for the Teaching Pay Initiative, known as the Professional Standards Payment in sixth form colleges, which helps colleges to modernise pay arrangements and to recruit, reward and retain excellent teachers.
	We have already announced that from next year and up to 2005–06 there will be a 1 per cent. annual real terms increase in core funding for FE and three year budgets for colleges which demonstrate their effectiveness. This, plus the additional resources for FE that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will be announcing in November to support our Success for All strategy, will present a more stable environment within which general FE and sixth form colleges can plan and negotiate pay levels and arrangements.

Non-governmental Organisations

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what grants his Department plans to make to NGOs in 2002–03; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Clarke: This Department works with over a 1000 voluntary and private organisations to which grants are made directly. Many more organisations receive grants via our NDPBs and other agencies, for which we hold no central records. Therefore this question could only be answered at disproportionate cost.

School Exclusions

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils were permanently excluded from school in each local education authority in each of the last five years.

David Miliband: A table showing the information requested has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

School Repairs

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to (a) publish annual reports on his Department's targets for the rebuilding and repair of school infrastructure and (b) instruct his Department's Service Delivery Agreement to include fresh targets for (i) the number of schools to be rebuilt and remodelled, (ii) the number of schools to be in receipt of substantial repair and (iii) the elimination of the repair backlog by 2005–06; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: We have no immediate plans to publish annual reports on the rebuilding and repair of school infrastructures. The Department is currently reviewing its schools capital programme in the light of the outcome of the recent spending review.

School Tranpsort

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to provide free school bus services for secondary school students in Staffordshire living less than three miles from their schools.

Stephen Twigg: Staffordshire county council's bid under the Rural Bus Challenge will be assessed over the next two months by officials in the Department for Transport. They aim to announce the successful schemes early in the new year.

Schools Finance (Essex)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in Essex suffered a cash budget cut in this financial year.

David Miliband: In Essex local education authority 86 schools had a fall in their cash budget share in 2002–03, but of these only three also had a fall in their cash budget share per pupil. Changes in pupil numbers are the principal reason for changes in budget share from year to year. 493 schools had a rise in their cash budget share, but of these 20 had a fall in their cash budget share per pupil: this was largely in cases where rising rolls led to a lessening of the factor which protects the smallest primary schools.
	The information is taken from data published in the LEAs section 52 budget statements for 2001–02 and 2002–03.

Special Educational Needs

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what powers he has to make provision for the assessment of special educational needs of children living in accommodation centres.

Stephen Twigg: Clause 28(1)(f) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill provides Government with the power to provide education in an accommodation centre. Clause 35(7) states that the education provider shall make appropriate facilities available for a child with special educational needs unless it is incompatible with the special educational provision his learning difficulty calls for; the provision of efficient education for other children resident in the centre; or the efficient use of resources. Clause 35(9)(b) empowers the education provider to ask the LEA to conduct a statutory assessment of a child's SEN, under section 329A of the Education Act 1996.
	An LEA's duties under Part IV of the Education Act 1996 to assess, and where necessary, to make provision for children in their area who are of compulsory school age and have special educational needs, will apply to children residing in accommodation centres as such children will be in the area of a LEA for the purposes of this part of the 1996 Act.

Specialist Schools

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many specialist schools were designated before 1 September 1997; how many such schools and what percentage of the whole were (a) city technology colleges and (b) grant maintained schools; and what the average percentage was of children in receipt of free school meals in (i) specialist schools designated prior to 1 September 1997 and (ii) city technology colleges and grant maintained schools designated as specialist schools before 1 September 1997.

David Miliband: The information requested is as follows:
	181 specialist schools were designated before 1 September 1997.
	(a) None of these are city technology colleges (CTCs).
	(b) 98 of these are grant maintained secondary schools, which is 54 per cent. of the total.
	Free school meal (FSM) eligibility as at January 2002.
	(a) 13 per cent of pupils attending the 181 specialist schools designated before 1 September 1997 were eligible to receive a free school meal.
	(b) No CTCs are specialist schools, and therefore, are not applicable. 11 per cent. of pupils attending the 98 grant maintained secondary schools were eligible to receive a free school meal.

Standards Fund

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what amounts per pupil his Department paid to English local education authorities out of the standards fund in 2001–02;
	(2)  what the (a) average amounts paid to English local authorities and (b) actual amounts paid to Staffordshire local education authority per pupil were in respect of (i) educational standard spending, (ii) standards fund and (iii) other special and specific grants in each of the last three years.

David Miliband: The figures showing the amounts allocated to English local education authorities in 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2002–03 to date have been placed in the Library. Education standard spending is an assessment of need rather than grant. Decisions on the new assessment formula for education will be announced in early December. Other special and specific grants include recurrent grants relating to pupils aged 4–19, and exclude grants for children aged below four years and education maintenance allowances.

Student Loans

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what plans he has to increase the interest rate on student loans; and if he will make a statement.
	(2)  what plans he has to change the threshold over which graduates are required to repay student loans; and if will make a statement.
	(3)  when he intends to publish his Department's review of post-16 student support.

Margaret Hodge: We intend to publish a strategy document setting out our vision for the development and reform of higher education, including the outcome of the student support review, in January. We will set out our policies on student loans and post 16 student support in that document.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the US Government about the delivery of aid to Afghanistan; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: During a recent visit to Washington and a return visit to London I met the head of USAID Andrew Natsios, during which we discussed the situation in Afghanistan. We noted that considerable progress had been made and an estimated $1.3 billion of $1.8 billion pledged at Tokyo for Afghanistan had now been disbursed. However, much remains to be done. I also met with General McNeill in Afghanistan last week to discuss humanitarian and security issues. We will continue to work with UN and bilateral agencies to try to ensure that Afghanistan's humanitarian needs are properly resourced.
	I have also recently agreed to contribute towards clearance of Afghanistan's outstanding arrears to the Asia Development Bank and World Bank in order that more finance can be made available for the reconstruction effort.

Afghanistan

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with ministers from other governments who promised aid to Afganistan and are yet to deliver it; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: All the major donors were represented at an Afghanistan Implementation Group meeting held in Kabul in mid October. This meeting revealed that delivery of pledges was now less of a problem than had previously been the case, with the overall picture looking good: of the $1.8 billion pledged at Tokoyo for 2002, it is estimated that up to $1.3 billion has been disbursed. The key issue as set out by the Afghans at the IG is now that future support is channelled in the most effective way in accordance with Afghanistan's budget priorities.

Agricultural Commodities

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if it is her policy to support (a) co-operation between coffee producing governments to stop more beans entering the market than can be sold and (b) the scheme agreed by coffee producing governments to reduce supply by increasing the quality of coffee traded.

Clare Short: The UK Government support the objectives of the 2001 International Coffee Agreement. Co-operation between coffee producing governments to restrict supplies entering the market has been pursued a number of times in the past without much success. The Coffee Retention Plan agreed in 2000 by the Association of Coffee Producing Countries was formally abandoned earlier this year.
	The International Coffee Organisation (ICO) Quality Initiative started on 1 October 2002 and has the backing of all ICO producing and consuming countries. The scheme is voluntary and requests that producer members do not export coffee below certain standards set by the organisation. Although the scheme has deficiencies and may cause problems for some exporters it is seen by most producers as a step in the right direction.

Agricultural Commodities

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to assist producer countries in capturing more value from agricultural commodities.

Clare Short: DFID is working with developing countries to strengthen their capacity in trade. We are also working to tackle tariff and non-tariff barriers to developing country agricultural exports, especially those that exist in the European Union. It is also important to ensure that a greater proportion of value added, including through processing, is retained in the developing country of origin. DFID provides support to initiatives that provide more timely market information, contributes to improvements in essential infrastructure (including energy and transport) and works to ensure appropriate legal regulatory frameworks exist to promote investment.

CDC Capital Partners

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the publications in which the post of the new chief executive of CDC Capital Partners was advertised.

Clare Short: The vacancy was advertised in the Financial Times on 5 September 2002, and in The Economist for that week.

Coffee

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how her Department is helping small coffee producers in developing countries to diversify into alternative livelihoods following the sustained decline in world prices.

Clare Short: Addressing commodity problems, including those arising from a sustained decline in prices, requires the establishment of a more favourable environment, at both domestic and international level, in order to reduce commodity dependence and encourage value added through processing.
	The UK, through its development programme and other endeavours, is supporting a range of actions that seek to expand the trade opportunities for commodity dependent countries. The UK also lends support to a variety of activities within the countries themselves in order to generate the economic growth, and other conditions, that provide enhanced opportunities for livelihood diversification.

Coffee

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the impact of the low price of unprocessed coffee on the livelihoods of coffee producers.

Clare Short: The UK forms part of the European Community's delegation to the International Coffee Organisation (ICO) and which deliberates on coffee matters. In 2001, the ICO organised the first World Coffee Conference and which drew attention to the challenges posed by low coffee prices. The UK is also a member of the Common Fund for Commodities which has a particular interest in the livelihoods of commodity dependent peoples, particularly in the least developed countries.
	The main cause of low coffee prices is oversupply, with production far exceeding consumption. Many poor smallholder farmers, particularly in Africa and Latin America, are dependent on coffee for a livelihood. The dramatic fall in prices has therefore had, and continues to have a significant livelihood and development concerns.

Coffee

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department is providing to help small coffee producers in developing countries to diversify into alternative livelihoods.

Clare Short: holding answer 30 October 2002
	The current situation of historically low coffee prices is having a significant effect on the livelihoods of very large numbers of coffee producers (who are predominantly smallholders) and those working in related industries and services. The income that people derive from the production and sale of commodities like coffee is influenced by a number of market (price, quality requirements) and non-market (pests and disease, weather etc.) factors. Low prices also have substantial macro-economic effects in terms of foreign exchange earnings, income to the exchequer and hence on debt repayment. Many of the poorest countries, particularly in Africa, remain dependent on a narrow range of commodity exports of which coffee is but one example.
	The UK, through its development programme and by working at international level, supports programmes that seek to expand the trade opportunities for poor countries and improve the economic, social, environmental and political framework within which commodity-dependent people derive a livelihood. Diversification, both horizontal (into other economic activities or crops) and vertical (greater participation in value-adding activities within the coffee value chain such as processing) forms an important element of this broader approach.
	In many countries we are assisting governments to develop poverty reduction strategies that address the needs of poor producers, taking into account commodity dependence. Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda are examples. We also support capacity building of individuals and producer organisations to better enable them to explore alternative markets and options and engage in the supply chain.
	DFID provides support to producers and producer groups to meet the growing range of quality (eg food safety) and performance criteria (eg environmental; social) that increasingly characterise developed country market requirements. We also fund research on smaller producers (eg integrated pest management, germplasm quality, post-harvest management) that aims to provide effective and low-cost solutions for those seeking to diversify both vertically and horizontally.
	DFID is also working hard to ensure that pressure is maintained for pro-poor trade reform (including CAP reform)—to ensure that any diversification efforts by poor coffee producers in developing countries are not undermined by unfair trade arrangements. We are also, with other Whitehall Departments, working to ensure that the Common Fund for Commodities is more poverty focused.

Country Strategy Papers

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the countries for which her Department has produced country strategy papers.

Clare Short: Since 1998 DFID has produced country strategy papers for the following countries:
	Albania
	Bangladesh
	Bolivia (first edition 1998, revised 2002)
	Bosnia and Herzegovina
	Brazil
	Bulgaria
	Burma
	Cambodia
	Cameroon
	China (first edition 1998, revised 2002)
	Croatia
	Czech Republic
	Ghana
	Guyana
	Hungary
	India
	Indonesia
	Jamaica
	Jordan
	Kenya
	Kosovo
	Malawi
	Moldova
	Montserrat (policy paper)
	Mozambique
	Nepal
	Nigeria
	Peru
	Poland
	Romania
	Russia (first edition 1998, revised 2001)
	Rwanda
	Slovak Republic
	South Africa
	Sri Lanka
	Tanzania
	Uganda
	Ukraine (first edition 1998, revised 2001)
	Vietnam
	Windward Islands
	Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
	Zambia
	Zimbabwe
	In addition, we have produced the following regional strategy papers:
	Baltic States (covering Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania)
	Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua)
	Central Asia and South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan)
	Pacific (Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau)
	Southern Africa (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland)

Democratic Republic of Congo

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) financial and (b) other assistance her Department (i) is providing and (ii) plans to provide to the Government of DRC; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: To date UK assistance to DRC has focused on humanitarian and peace building assistance provided through the UN and international NGOs. We have had no direct Government-to-Government assistance programme. However once an inclusive transitional Government has been agreed, the UK will be willing to consider providing direct assistance to the Government of DRC. In the short term we are considering options for Quick start initiatives to demonstrate to the people of DRC the benefits of peace. In the medium term we plan to provide assistance in a number of sectors where we believe we can best add value such as disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) and support to the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) process. We will also continue our humanitarian and peace building activities, and will support re-engagement in the DRC by the international financial institutions (IFIs).

Democratic Republic of Congo

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) UN Force and (b) MONUC representatives are in the Democratic Republic of Congo; what plans there are to send British troops there; what plans there are to increase the number of MONUC representatives; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: On 30 September the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) comprised 4,309 uniformed personnel (military observers, troops and civilian police), and 1,185 civilian personnel. Five of these military observers have been provided by the United Kingdom. There are no plans to send British troops to the DRC.
	Last month the Secretary General of the UN (UNSG) produced a report on MONUC's activities, which is now being discussed by the UN Security Council. The principal recommendation of the report is that the cap on MONUC's military personnel be increased from 5,537 to 7,500. We are encouraging the UNSG to get MONUC more focused and effective on DDR, particularly in eastern DRC.
	We warmly welcomed the Pretoria and Luanda Agreements which Rwanda and Uganda respectively signed with DRC as major breakthroughs towards peace in the region. We are working closely with all three governments, and that of Burundi, as well as the South Africans and the UNSG who are the third parties in the Pretoria Agreement, to ensure full implementation of these Agreements.

Education

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of the new money announced for International Development in the CSR will be spent on basic education; and how much this represents in real terms.

Clare Short: Improving education outcomes for poor people is not primarily about donor resources. We are working to help partner Governments put the policies and plans in place which will enable them to accelerate the achievement of universal primary completion. The resources allocated to this will therefore depend on individual country circumstances—but the international community has already made it clear that no country seriously committed to Education for All will be thwarted by lack of resources.

Education

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when her Department will announce what resources it will put into the Fast Track Initiative on Education.

Clare Short: Our approach to the Fast Track Initiative is to help partner Governments put the policies and plans in place which will enable them to accelerate the achievement of universal primary completion. As plans emerge from individual countries, the resources required for implementation will be discussed at the country level. We will determine through this process any additional resources from my Department.

Education

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to support education in the Fast Track countries on the list.

Clare Short: My Department in engaged in over half of the countries included in the Fast Track Initiative. We are working with Governments to improve education policies and plans through a variety of mechanisms, including direct budget support, sectoral budget support and bilateral projects.

Education

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of her Department's budget she expects to be spent on basic education in the next three years.

Clare Short: holding answer sent 30 October 2002
	The Government have committed over #700 million to basic education since 1997. At Kananaskis we joined other G8 countries in pledging to increase our bilateral assistance for countries that have demonstrated a strong and credible policy and financial commitment to the goals of achieving universal primary education for all children and equal access to education for girls. We are working closely with partner Governments to help them improve their education policies and plans: actual expenditure will therefore depend on progress made in individual countries.

Education

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much the Government have contributed to the Education for All plan for each of the last seven years for which records are available.

Clare Short: The Government have committed over #700 million to basic education since 1997. Annual figures are not readily available.

Education

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what target sum she has agreed with her counterparts in other countries should be set for the total budget for the World Bank Education for All programme.

Clare Short: Improving education outcomes for poor people is not primarily dependant on donor resources but on political commitment at country level. We are working to try to ensure that the Education for All initiative adds value to the efforts to deliver universal primary education by 2015. The resources allocated to this will depend on individual country circumstances. We and the international community have already made it clear that no country seriously committed to Education for All will be thwarted by lack of resources.

Iraq

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the WHO study of possible increased cancer rates in southern Iraq and their causes has begun; and what the UK contribution to the study is proposed to be.

Clare Short: holding answer 29 October 2002
	The World Health Organisation's (WHO) study has not begun. My Department has not been asked by the WHO for any contribution.

Libya

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of (a) poverty levels and (b) human rights abuses in Libya.

Clare Short: Libya is an Upper Middle Income Country with an annual GDP per capita of $7,570 (UN Human Development Report 2001). DFID has no plans to provide assistance to Libya and we have thus not made any detailed assessment of poverty levels or human rights abuses. The FCO's assessment is that Libya's record on human rights is not good, but there are recent signs of improvement (including the release of remaining political prisoners), and Libya is expected to continue to show a commitment to improving its human rights record during its period as chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights.

Libya

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what projects her Department supports that operate in Libya.

Clare Short: None.

Malawi

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made in writing off debt for Malawi; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: Malawi is currently eligible for interim debt relief under the Enhanced HIPC (Heavily Indebted Poor Countries) Initiative amounting to some US$91.4 million in total. Relief in 2001 was about $27 million and is estimated at about $50 million (including Japan) for 2002. This relief should be used for increased spending on health, education, and other social priorities. Subject to satisfactory performance, Malawi is scheduled to reach its HIPC Completion Point in the second half of 2003. At this stage, all of Malawi's eligible debt under the initiative will be irrevocably cancelled.

Millennium Declaration

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps have been taken to produce an annual report on progress towards the Millennium Declaration.

Clare Short: Following the Millennium summit in September 2000, the UN General Assembly mandated the Secretary General to produce annual reports on "Implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration", including progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. The first of these reports (reference A/57/270) is available on the UN website at www.un.org

Overseas Aid

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of overseas aid provided by the UK is spent on (a) education and (b) health; what steps she is taking to increase this percentage; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: The proportion of my Department's bilateral aid programme allocable by sector in 2001–02 was;
	Education: 12 per cent.
	Health and Population: 20 per cent.
	These figures represent expenditure on projects specific to these sectors but do not capture the full extent of our efforts in each policy area because they exclude multisector projects and programmes, strategic funding to civil society organisations and budget support and balance of payments. Also excluded are activities funded through multilateral channels. Education and health and population will remain priorities for future spending. We do not however, support externally imposed targets. We believe support for poverty reduction strategies devoted to meeting the millennium development goals is the right approach and that our programmes should be harmonised with the efforts of other donors behind locally led poverty reduction strategies.

Police Training (South African Development Community)

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the UK Government is intending to seek an assurance that training on human rights will become a permanent component of police training programmes in the Southern African Development Community region.

Clare Short: Poor people are particularly vulnerable both to crime and to weaknesses in the justice system. We believe that justice sector reform needs to be a key part of poverty reduction strategies in many countries. Justice programmes supported by my Department in SADC countries aim to promote respect for human rights, both through training, and through strengthening the accountability of the justice sector. Through such programmes we seek to encourage the integration of human rights principles into the training programmes of police services and other professionals in the justice sector.

Rwanda and Burundi

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement about the re-establishment of functioning legal institutions in (a) Rwanda and (b) Burundi.

Clare Short: The re-establishment of effective legal institutions and the rule of law are crucial for successful reconciliation and future development in both countries.
	Rwanda has made significant progress in re-establishing a functioning legal system and rehabilitating the judiciary since the 1994 genocide. The development of a new Constitution will further clarify roles and enable greater effectiveness of the justice system.
	The justice system is overstretched by the need to administer justice to people affected by the genocide. The Government are implementing the community-based justice system of Gacaca, which will relieve pressure on existing overburdened legal structures. The introduction of traditional Gacaca trials for genocide related crimes has an important role to play as a key part of the reconciliation process within Rwandan communities. This mechanism is complementary to national trials for more serious genocide related offences and those at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
	DFID's programme in Rwanda is committed to the strengthening of governance systems and the elimination of poverty, including support to the Gacaca process.
	In Burundi, DFID, with the rest of the international community, is actively supporting the process of implementation of the Arusha Accord for Peace and Reconciliation, which was signed on 28 August 2000. The Arusha Accord includes a Protocol dedicated to democracy and good governance. As well as setting out transitional constitutional and parliamentary arrangements, the Protocol sets out a number of measures aimed at reinforcing the independence of the judiciary and the effectiveness of the justice system. The success of the transition will largely depend on a ceasefire.
	DFID has recently established an office in Burundi, and, in partnership with Government, civil society and the international community, is committed to an increasing effort to bring peace and help restart efforts to develop Burundi's full potential.

Sri Lanka

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with the Norwegian and Sri Lankan Governments about the peace process in Sri Lanka; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: I met with Prime Minister Wickremasinghe on 28 May 2002. I have also met with Minister for Economic Reform, Milinda Moragoda, twice this year, most recently when he visited the UK in September. Minister Moragoda is a key member of the Government of Sri Lanka negotiating team at the peace talks. My officials are in regular contact with staff of the Norwegian Embassy in Colombo.

Sri Lanka

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action she is taking to provide support for (a) de-mining and (b) the resettlement of displaced people in Sri Lanka.

Clare Short: My Department is providing #2.6 million to a joint Government of Sri Lanka and UN programme to support the resettlement of returning internally displaced persons (IDPs). This covers de-mining, immediate assistance to help restart livelihoods, shelter and provision of education services. In addition, #6.8 million has been provided for long-term OXFAM and SCF programmes which include support for IDPs. Further assistance will be considered in the light of needs assessments currently under way.

Sri Lanka

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support she is providing for projects to tackle poverty in southern Sri Lanka; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: The Government of Sri Lanka intends to ensure that communities in southern Sri Lanka benefit from the peace process, as well as those in the war-torn north and east. My Department already has long term programmes which address the needs of poor people throughout the island of Sri Lanka. These include national programmes to strengthen the quality of, and access to, primary schooling. In addition DFID is financing Oxfam's work with poor people across the country, including the south. My Department will continue to encourage bilateral and multilateral development organisations to ensure that future international assistance responds to the needs of poor people throughout the country.

Transparency Initiative

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her answer of 15 October 2002 to the hon. Member for Banbury (Tony Baldry), Official Report, column 652W, what discussions the Government had with the Governments of (a) Angola, (b) Nigeria and (c) Sudan regarding becoming partners in the Transparency Initiative.

Clare Short: We approached several other Governments to seek their support for the initiative on transparency of payments for the extractives industry in the run up to, and during, the recent World Summit for Sustainable Development. Like many of the Governments the UK approached at the time, the Nigerians were interested in the proposal but needed further internal consultation before they could take a firm position. I understand these to be still ongoing. We have not yet approached Sudan or Angola.

Unexploded Ordnance (Afghanistan)

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether those organisations undertaking the clearance of unexploded bomblets following the use of cluster bombs in Afghanistan have the financial and technical resources necessary to maintain current clearance rates.

Clare Short: DFID's demining adviser has just returned from leading a mission to Afghanistan. The purpose was to analyse the effectiveness of the United Nations Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan (MAPA), and the Mine Action Centre for Afghanistan (MACA) which is responsible for overall planning and co-ordination. I await the results of this evaluation. However on my recent visit to Afghanistan it was frequently suggested that demining was being organised in an exemplary fashion.
	DFID is allocating #1.8 million for humanitarian mine action in Afghanistan in the current financial year.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with counterparts in other nations who have signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Clare Short: I discuss child rights and development regularly with partners. Discussions focus on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals to which the UK Government are committed. In particular the goals of achieving primary education for all, promoting gender equality and improving child survival are key to meeting the goal of halving absolute poverty by 2015. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child forms one cornerstone for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and the UN General Assembly's Special Session on Children in May 2002, to which my Department contributed, committed governments to clear action and objectives for children and young people.

Western Sahel (World Food Programme)

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the impact fighting in the Ivory Coast is having on the World Food Programme's activities in the Western Sahel region.

Clare Short: holding answer 30 October 2002
	We have not done an independent assessment on the effect the conflict on Côte d'lvoire is having on World Food Programme (WFP) activities in the Western Sahel Region of Africa. The UN held an Emergency Regional Contingency Planning meeting in Accra from 17–18 October to discuss the situation and the likely humanitarian needs in Côte d'lvoire and neighbouring countries. We are awaiting their assessment and are continuing to monitor the situation.

World Food Programme (Africa)

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the (a) estimated number of people reliant on food aid and (b) estimated amount of food aid required by the World Food Programme is over the next six months for (i) Mauritania, (ii) Mali, (iii) Senegal, (iv) Eritrea and (v) Ethiopia.

Clare Short: The information is as follows:
	(i) Mauritania: (a) The World Food Programme (WFP) has estimated that up to 750,000 people are affected by food shortages. The FAO have just completed an assessment of the situation and more accurate figures should be available soon. (b) The WFP Emergency Operation, launched in April, aims to provide 16,231 tonnes of food aid, benefiting 246,500 people until the end of December 2002.
	(ii) Mali: (a) No humanitarian crisis or large scale food shortages are currently reported.
	(b) The WFP is providing 3,765 tonnes of food aid until June 2003 in support of rehabilitation activities for 305,000 people affected by the armed conflict of 1990–95.
	(iii) Senegal: (a) No humanitarian crisis or large scale food shortages are currently reported. (b) The WFP is providing 1,650 tonnes of food aid, benefiting 76,000 people over 18 months until December 2003, in support of populations affected by conflict.
	(iv) Eritrea: (a) According to recent WFP/FAO assessments, approximately 1.04 million of the most vulnerable people in Eritrea will (b) require 140, 000 tonnes of food aid in 2003.
	(v) Ethiopia: (a) The UN estimates that upwards of six million people require food assistance at present. (b) WFP assess unmet food aid needs for the remainder of this year at approximately 70,000 tonnes and a further 263,000 tonnes for the first three months of next year.

PRIME MINISTER

CAP Reform

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister what matters in respect of reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and the United Kingdom rebate were discussed with President Chirac of France at the European Summit in Brussels on 25th October.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement I gave in the House on Monday 28 October and the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock Chase (Tony Wright) in the House on Wednesday 30 October, Official Report, column 865.

Correspondence

Alex Salmond: To ask the Prime Minister when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan of 4th July on nuclear power.

Tony Blair: I understand that my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy and Construction replied on my behalf on 10 August.

Hawk Sale (India)

Norman Lamb: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what guarantees he has obtained from his Indian counterpart in the course of recent discussions that BAe Systems Hawk aircraft will, if purchased by India, only be used for training purposes;
	(2)  what percentage of the time he spent in discussions with his Indian counterpart at Chequers on 19th October was spent (a) lobbying for the purchase of BAe Systems Hawk aircraft and (b) on other matters.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blaenau Gwent (Llew Smith) on 28 October, Official Report, column 604W.

Middle East

David Drew: To ask the Prime Minister what progress has been made with his offer to convene a peace conference between Israel and the Palestinians.

Tony Blair: The immediate priorities are for the quartet (the US, EU, UN and Russia) to agree a roadmap leading to a comprehensive settlement by 2005, and for the parties to commit to implementing it. We believe that a conference of the parties involved in the peace process should be a key element of that roadmap. We are examining how we can best contribute to achieving this goal.

Parliamentary Recall

Graham Allen: To ask the Prime Minister if he will propose changes to Standing Order No 13 to grant the power to initiate a recall of Parliament to the Speaker.

Tony Blair: I have no plans to do so.

Scottish MPs (Redundancy Payments)

Hugo Swire: To ask the Prime Minister what the anticipated cost is of one-off redundancy payments to Scottish MPs losing their seats as a result of the proposed reduction in the number of Westminster constituencies; from what budget they will be paid; and if he will make it his policy to extend such payments to English MPs who lose their seats as a result of the redrawing of boundaries by the Boundaries Commission.

Tony Blair: There are no arrangements for additional compensation for Members who lose their seats as a result of the redrawing of boundaries by the Boundaries Commission. All Members of Parliament who retire or are defeated at a General Election are entitled to payment of a resettlement grant. The amount of the grant is calculated on the basis of age and length of service, and the cost involved is determined by the actual Members who are ultimately affected. The resettlement grant is available to all eligible Members of Parliament.

Sellafield

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister what matters in respect of Sellafield were raised by his Irish counterpart at the Heads of Government Summit in Brussels on 25th October; and what response he made.

Tony Blair: The Taoiseach did not raise Sellafield at the Brussels European Council on 25 October. However, Irish concerns over Sellafield have been made clear through other fora. We continue to respond as fully as possible to such concerns and to assure the Irish Government that we take very seriously our responsibilities in respect of the effective and safe management of the Sellafield site.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Postalisation of Gas Prices

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce postalisation of gas prices in Northern Ireland.

Ian Pearson: The provisions to give effect to postalisation of gas transmission costs were included in the draft Energy Bill which had entered Committee stage prior to the suspension of the devolved Administration. Subject to the Secretary of State's consent, it would be my intention that the Energy Bill would be converted to an Order in Council and included in the programme for the next legislative session.
	The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and the Regulator are involved in ongoing discussions with the pipeline owners about the precise arrangements for introducing postalisation.

Public Employees

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many public employees there are in Northern Ireland; and what percentage they represent of the overall workforce in Northern Ireland.

Ian Pearson: At June 2002, there were 204,952 public sector employee jobs in Northern Ireland. This represents 27.1 per cent. of the workforce jobs figure for Northern Ireland.

Selective Education

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Education and Skills regarding the future of selective education in Northern Ireland.

Jane Kennedy: The review of post-primary education was taken forward by the devolved Administration. No formal discussions have been held with the Department for Education and Skills.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Business Organisation (West Midlands)

Peter Luff: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the business organisations in the West Midlands with which he makes it his policy to consult on matters of relevance to the business sector.

Christopher Leslie: An example of recent consultation undertaken across the West Midlands region by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister related to draft Regional Planning Guidance for the West Midlands. The list set out follows shows the range of business organisations consulted on that occasion.
	Business Organisations in the West Midlands consulted on Draft Regional Planning Guidance
	Advantage West Midlands
	Birmingham and Solihull Chamber of Commerce
	Birmingham and Solihull Business Link
	Birmingham City 2000 (now known as Birmingham Forward)
	Black Country Chamber and Business Link
	1 British Property Federation (Based in London)
	1 British Retail Consortium (Based in London)
	British Trade International
	Business in the Community
	CBI West Midlands
	Country Landowners Association
	Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce
	Coventry and Warwickshire Business Link
	Coventry and Warwickshire Co-operative Development Agency
	Coventry and Warwickshire Partnerships Ltd.
	East Mercia Chamber of Commerce
	Engineering Employers Federation
	Federation of Small Businesses
	Freight Transport Association
	Heart of England Tourist Board
	Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce and Business Link
	House Builders Federation
	Institute of Asian Businesses
	Institute of Directors
	Institution of Highways and Transportation
	Midlands Environmental Business Club
	National Farmers Union
	North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce
	Staffordshire Business Link
	Road Haulage Association
	1 Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Ltd. (Based in London)
	Shropshire Chamber and Business Link
	West Midlands Business Policy Group
	West Midlands Enterprise Board
	West Midlands Rural Network
	West Midlands Regional Group of Chambers of Commerce
	1 Not located in the West Midland region

Council Housing

Alan Simpson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister where council tenants vote against the transfer of housing stock to an arm's length management organisation or other social landlord, how the local authority will access the debt write-off provisions offered by the Government.

Tony McNulty: Where council tenants vote against the transfer of housing stock to a Registered Social Landlord (RSL), their authority's attributable housing debt will continue to be serviced through Housing Revenue Account subsidy and the provisions for addressing overhanging debt will not arise. Overhanging debt payment is only made when transfer is to an RSL, it does not apply to transfers to Arm's Length Management Organisations (ALMOs), as the authority still owns the stock.

Domestic Fires

David Wright: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people were killed in domestic house fires in the last year, broken down by region.

Nick Raynsford: The table shows fatal casualties in dwelling fires attended by local authority fire brigades in the UK in 2000 by region. 2000 is the latest year for which data are available.
	
		Fatal casualties in dwelling fires(1),(2) by region and brigade area, UK, 2000(3) 
		
			  Fatal casualties  
		
		
			 United Kingdom 445 (4) (447) 
			   
			 England and Wales 365 (4) (367) 
			   
			 England  340 
			   
			 North East  13 
			 Cleveland  1 
			 Durham  6 
			 Northumberland  1 
			 Tyne and Wear  5 
			 North West 69  
			 Cheshire  6 
			 Cumbria  3 
			 Greater Manchester  22 
			 Lancashire  17 
			 Merseyside  21 
			   
			 Yorkshire and The Humber  41 
			 Humberside  7 
			 North Yorkshire  2 
			 South Yorkshire  10 
			 West Yorkshire  22 
			 East Midlands  23 
			 Derbyshire  9 
			 Leicestershire  4 
			 Lincolnshire  4 
			 Northamptonshire  3 
			 Nottinghamshire  3 
			   
			 West Midlands  51 
			 Hereford and Worcester  3 
			 Shropshire  8 
			 Staffordshire  8 
			 Warwickshire  6 
			 West Midlands  26 
			   
			 East of England  36 
			 Bedfordshire  5 
			 Cambridgeshire  3 
			 Essex  10 
			 Hertfordshire  6 
			 Norfolk  8 
			 Suffolk  4 
			   
			 South East  43 
			 Berkshire  5 
			 Buckinghamshire  7 
			 East Sussex  3 
			 Hampshire  9 
			 Isle of Wight  0 
			 Kent  9 
			 Oxfordshire  1 
			 Surrey  6 
			 West Sussex  3 
			   
			 South West  19 
			 Avon  4 
			 Cornwall  4 
			 Devon  7 
			 Dorset  1 
			 Gloucestershire  2 
			 Isles of Scilly  0 
			 Somerset  1 
			 Wiltshire  0 
			   
			 London  45 
			   
			 Wales  25 
			 North Wales  3 
			 Mid and West Wales  14 
			 South Wales  8 
			   
			 Northern Ireland  13 
			   
			 Scotland  67 
			 Strathclyde  39 
			 Highland and Islands  3 
			 Grampian  5 
			 Tayside  5 
			 Lothian and Borders  12 
			 Fife  3 
			 Central  0 
			 Dumfries  0 
		
	
	(1) Including late call and heat and smoke damage incidents.
	(2) Including caravans, houseboats and other non-building permanent dwellings.
	(3) Data are provisional and fatality figures are likely to be revised downwards as later information becomes available.
	(4) Estimates of the revised figures for United Kingdom and England and Wales are shown in brackets.

Exchange Flags

Louise Ellman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress is being made in resolving the dispute concerning funding given to the Walton Group for its regeneration of Exchange Flags, Liverpool.

Tony McNulty: English Partnerships, acting as agent for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, is continuing its legal action for the return of all public money and subsequent legal costs expended on the Exchange Flags building, Liverpool. The date for trial has been set for the week beginning 18 November 2002.
	For legal reasons, I cannot comment further at the present time. I shall write to my hon. Friend when more information is available.

Executive Agencies

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the executive agencies affiliated to his Department.

Christopher Leslie: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for the following executive agencies:
	Fire Service College
	The Planning Inspectorate
	The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre
	The Rent Service
	In addition Ordnance Survey, a separate non-ministerial Government Department, and executive agency, is the responsibility of ODPM Ministers.

FD Services Ltd

Christopher Chope: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the contracts which his Department has entered into with FD Services Ltd.

Christopher Leslie: The financial systems of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister contain no record of any contracts with FD Services Limited.

Firefighters' Dispute

David Heath: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what information he has received from the Chief Fire Officer of Somerset on his assessment of the adequacy of fire cover in areas of the Somerton and Frome constituency during a firefighters' strike.

Nick Raynsford: The Chief Fire Officer of Somerset Fire Brigade sent a short e-mail to officials at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on 20 September, in which he expressed the view that strike action at two retained stations in Somerset would potentially leave a significant number of road traffic accidents uncovered.
	Emergency cover in Somerset, as for the rest of the country, will consist of a number of elements including Green Goddesses, breathing apparatus teams (BARTs), a rescue team equipped with specialist equipment (REST) and the police. The BARTs and RESTs carry basic cutting and other rescue equipment, and have been trained to respond to road traffic accidents.
	The provision of MOD emergency cover has been planned in consultation with Chief Fire Officers to maximise the effectiveness of call-outs and the availability of a range of firefighting capabilities. The MOD's emergency cover will not replicate the firefighting capabilities of the Fire Service, but will aim to minimise the danger to human life.
	Retained firefighters provide a very valuable service to their communities. We expect that during industrial action many retained firefighters would continue to protect the communities in which they live and work.

Firefighters' Dispute

Nigel Evans: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) full-time and (b) full-time equivalent firefighters there were in Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Christopher Leslie: The following table shows the latest available information on the number of wholetime firefighters and strength (in 24 hour units of cover) of retained firefighters in Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service.
	
		
			 Year Wholetime Retained 
		
		
			 1997–98 987 339 
			 1998–99 1,007 321 
			 1999–2000 1,008 304 
			 2001–01 1,010 285 
			 2001–02(5) 1,002 268 
		
	
	(5) Provisional

Firefighters' Dispute

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether (a) professional firemen, (b) retained firefighters and (c) other publicly employed persons are insured, including the death in service provision, when dealing with a fire or other incident during a firefighters' strike.

Christopher Leslie: Professional and retained firefighters who are on duty during any FBU industrial action will be fully covered by the standard insurance, death and pension benefits as normal. Members of the armed forces will benefit from the same cover and support as is provided for any operational duty. Police officers are afforded protection in the event of injury while on duty by the provisions of the Police Pension Regulations in the case of death or permanent disablement. In the event of temporary disablement the arrangements for contractual sick pay would safeguard the officer from immediate financial loss.

Housing Associations

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the housing associations; how many houses they have built and acquired over the last five years; and how many of these have been allocated to (a) those on their existing waiting list and (b) those outside their area.

Tony McNulty: A full list of the 2,033 housing associations registered with the Housing Corporation is available on the corporation's website at www.housingcorp.gov.uk
	Only about one quarter of registered housing associations undertake development. Over the last five years, housing associations have completed the following number of dwellings, through new-build or acquisition and redevelopment, via funding from the Housing Corporation's approved development programme (ADP) and local authority social housing grant (LASHG):
	
		
			  Approved development programme Local authority social housing grant 
		
		
			 1997–98 35,418 10,152 
			 1998–99 31,960 9,929 
			 1999–2000 25,040 8,678 
			 2000–01 22,354 8,419 
			 2001–02 22,875 6,971 
		
	
	Information is not available about the allocation of housing association dwellings to people on existing waiting lists or from elsewhere. The Housing Corporation's regulatory code states that registered housing associations must work with local authorities to enable the latter to fulfil their duties to homeless households and people in priority housing need; to the vulnerable and those covered by the Government's Supporting People policy.

Local Government Finance

David Kidney: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a summary of the responses to his consultation on reform of local government finance.

Nick Raynsford: A summary of responses to the consultation on the formula grant review will be published and placed in the Library before the Government's proposals for the future grant distribution system are announced at around the beginning of December.

Local Government Finance

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions his Department has had with the F40 group in the review of the local government education funding formula to provide a more even funding system for rural and inner city schools.

Nick Raynsford: My colleagues and I had discussions with both the F40 as a group and some of their 36 constituent authorities as part of the consultation on the Formula Grant Review.
	Similar discussions have taken place between the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's officials and officers representing F40 members. We are currently taking decisions on the new system to be that we will propose following that consultation. In doing so we are considering carefully the evidence, pressures and representations that we received, including those from F40 authorities and campaigners.

Local Government Finance

James Cran: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what impact changes in the local government formula grant will have on public services delivered by the East Riding of Yorkshire council.

Nick Raynsford: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Brigg and Goole (Mr. Cawsey) on 4 November 2002.

Local Government Finance

James Cran: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of rural deprivation in the local government formula grant review.

Nick Raynsford: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend, the Member for Brigg and Goole (Mr. Cawsey) on 4 November 2002.

Local Government Finance

James Cran: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what account he has taken of the extra cost of providing services in rural areas in the local government formula grant review.

Nick Raynsford: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Brigg and Goole (Mr. Cawsey) on 4 November 2002.

Local Government Finance

Ian Cawsey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what account he has taken of the extra cost of providing services in rural areas in the local government formula grant review.

Nick Raynsford: The formula grant review options that were put forward as part of the summer consultation were informed by evidence on relative costs of providing services across the country. We are currently taking decisions on the new system to be implemented following that consultation, and in doing so are considering carefully all of the evidence, pressures and representations that we received, including those from rural areas.

Local Government Finance

Ian Cawsey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what impact changes in the local government formula grant will have on public services in (a) the East Riding of Yorkshire and (b) North Lincolnshire.

Nick Raynsford: We will announce the new system for distributing Formula Grant, including detailed grant allocations for individual authorities, at the time of the provisional local government finance settlement which we expect to be around the start of December. Once the Government has allocated its grant, decisions about budgets and services are primarily for local councils to make. However, we have already guaranteed that no authority will face a cut in grant next year on a like for like basis, and we hope to do better than that when we announce the actual floors and ceilings scheme as part of the provisional settlement.

Local Government Finance

Ian Cawsey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research was done by his Department into the impact of dispersal and settlement patterns on the cost of providing services in rural areas as part of the local government formula grant review.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister commissioned research into the impact of sparsity, dispersal and settlement patterns as part of the work on the Environmental, Protective & Cultural Services block. In addition other Government departments have undertaken such research covering the services for which they are primarilyresponsible. Officials have also discussed sparsity issues with local government colleagues over the past 18 months in technical groups covering all service blocks. This informed the options put forward in the Formula Grant Review consultation document. We are currently taking decisions on the new system to be implemented following that consultation, and in doing so are considering carefully all of the evidence, pressures and representations that we received, including those from rural areas.

Local Government Officers

Ian Lucas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to revise the Widdecombe Rules on political activity of local government officers.

Nick Raynsford: We intend to conduct a review looking at political restrictions on local government officers, and to publish a consultation paper containing proposals, in due course.

Neighbourhood Management Scheme

Karen Buck: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to announce a further round of the Neighbourhood Management scheme.

Barbara Roche: We are considering proposals for a second round of Neighbourhood Management Pathfinders and hope to make an announcement in the near future.

Non-department Public Bodies

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the non-departmental public bodies affiliated to his Department.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for sponsoring the following Non-Departmental Public Bodies:
	Advisory Panel on Beacon Councils
	Advisory Panel on Standards for the Planning Inspectorate
	Audit Commission
	Building Regulations Advisory Committee
	Community Forum
	Commission for New Towns/English Partnerships
	Castle Vale Housing Action Trust
	Housing Corporation
	Liverpool Housing Action Trust
	Property Advisory Group
	Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England
	Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Wales
	Rent Assessment Panels
	Standards Board for England
	Stonebridge Housing Action Trust
	Tower Hamlets Housing Action Trust
	Valuation Tribunals

Park Homes

Christopher Chope: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will place a copy of the survey on the economics of park homes in the Library.

Tony McNulty: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the member for St. Helens North (Mr. Watts) on 29 October 2002, Official report, column 680W.

Planning

Phil Willis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the planning appeals and their location by local planning authority that have been dismissed on the grounds of health concerns in each of the last three years.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Public Service Agreements

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many public service agreements have been entered into with local authorities in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will list the local authorities which have entered into public service agreements; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Raynsford: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Foster) on 22 October 2002, Official Report, column 292W.

Recruitment (Over-50s)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of new recruits to his Department in the past two years were aged 50 and over.

Christopher Leslie: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was formed in May 2002. As part of the former DETR(C) and DTLR(C) the percentage figures for each year for new recruits aged 50 and over in the period requested is as follows:
	1. 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001 = 7.25 per cent.
	2. 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 = 6.5 per cent.

Regional Assemblies

Andrew George: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 23 October 2002, Official Report, columns 389–90W, how he defines the word stakeholder; and if he will list the categories of stakeholders consulted.

Nick Raynsford: 'Your Region, Your Choice', the White Paper on regional governance, includes business, trade unions, the voluntary and community sectors, local authorities and other key partners in the public sector, and environmental groups as examples of stakeholders. However, the White Paper is not prescriptive. We would consider that any organisation with an interest in regional governance can be considered as a stakeholder.
	The White Paper did not sound out particular stakeholders or groups of stakeholders for consultation. It invited anyone with views on stakeholder involvement with elected regional assemblies to submit their comments.

Registered Social Landlords

Anthony Steen: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will (a) list the total debt of each registered social landlord in England and Wales in the last financial year, (b) identify what percentage of each of each debt was incurred through borrowing for council housing stock transfer and (c) state from where.

Tony McNulty: The information requested entails listing all social landlords registered with the Housing Corporation of which there are around 2,000. Due to the volume of material, I will write to the hon. Member as soon as the information is collated.

Rural Deprivation

Ian Cawsey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of rural deprivation in the local government formula grant review.

Nick Raynsford: The formula grant review options that were put forward as part of the summer consultation were informed by evidence on relative costs of providing services across the country. Further work on measuring deprivation was carried out during the consultation period as part of discussions with groups representing rural authorities. We are currently taking decisions on the new system to be implemented following that consultation, and in doing so are considering carefully all of the evidence, pressures and representations that we received, including those from rural areas.

Rural Services

James Cran: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research has been undertaken by his Department into the impact of dispersal and settlement patterns on the cost of providing services in rural areas as part of the local government formula grant review.

Nick Raynsford: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Brigg and Goole (Mr. Cawsey) on 4 November 2002.

Your Region Your Choice

Andrew George: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister with reference to paragraph 9.21 of the 'Your Region, Your Choice' White Paper, what account he has taken of the other views invited; and if he will publish the views submitted.

Nick Raynsford: Other than the specific request for views on stakeholder involvement with elected regional assemblies to be submitted by 31 August 2002, the White Paper 'Your Region, Your Choice' was not a formal consultation exercise. The White Paper indicated that the Government would also be interested in views on its other proposals, but there is no deadline and views may still be submitted. We have no plans to publish these views, but we will take them into account as we implement our proposals.

DEFENCE

Live Animals (Exports)

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the aims and objectives of the future offensive air system programme.

Geoff Hoon: The Future Offensive Air System programme is intended to replace the offensive air capability currently provided by the Tornado GR4 strike aircraft towards the end of the next decade. The programme is currently in the concept stage. No final decisions have been taken.

National Missile Defence

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his United States counterpart on national missile defence.

Geoff Hoon: I last discussed missile defence issues with the United States Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld, at our meeting in Washington on 11 September.

Regular and Territorial Armies

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by how much the strength of the (a) regular and (b) territorial armies have changed since May 1997; and by how much the number of medically unfit soldiers has changed over the same period.

Adam Ingram: In June 1997 the strength of the regular army was 101,360, of which 6.7 per cent. were listed as not employable at full combatant duties. In September this year, these figures were 101,660 and 10. 4 per cent. respectively.
	In June 1997 the strength of the territorial army stood at 55, 470. The strategic defence review vision for the territorial army was to restructure it into a more relevant, usable and integrated organisation. The current strength of the territorial army, as at 1 September 2002, stands at 38,835. This includes 400 who are currently mobilised in support of operations.

Middle East

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of British forces in international peacekeeping in the middle east region.

Geoff Hoon: The Strategic Defence Review concluded that our national interests are directly affected by events in the middle east. The deployment of United Kingdom armed forced to Oman for exercise Saif Sareea ll graphically illustrated our commitment to stability in the region.
	Royal Air Force aircraft continue to patrol the no fly zones over Iraq in support of UN SCR 688, which demanded that Saddam Hussein end the repression of his own people. We also contribute a small contingent of British armed forces personnel to the UN Iraq Kuwait Observer Mission established under UN SCR 687 to monitor the defined border and demilitarised zone between Iraq and Kuwait.

Armed Forces (Careers)

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures the Ministry of Defence is taking to promote the armed forces as a career to students in schools.

Adam Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Workington (Mr. Cunningham).

High-Tech Equipment

Lawrie Quinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures his Department is taking to enhance opportunities within the engineering industry to enter into partnership development roles during the procurement of high-tech equipment and software for the armed forces.

Geoff Hoon: The Ministry of Defence recognises that partnerships with industry in high-tech areas are crucial to military capability and to the UK Defence Industry. The Ministry of Defence has recently launched the XTowers of Excellence" and Defence Technology Centres. These are mechanisms for partnering with industry and academia in priority high technology areas. We are also taking steps, via the National Defence & Aerospace's Systems Panel, to ensure that Ministry of Defence and Department of Trade and Industry Science and Technology spending is fully co-ordinated.

High-Tech Equipment

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans have been made to train armed forces personnel to carry out duties as firefighters.

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the deployment of the Army during the firefighters' dispute.

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces have been assigned to providing emergency fire and rescue cover in the event of a national firemen's strike.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for East Devon (Mr. Swire).

High-Tech Equipment

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the firefighters' strike on the training and operational effectiveness of the armed forces.

Adam Ingram: The Armed Forces have been particularly busy over the last few years performing their primary duties in defence of United Kingdom interests and acting as a force for good. The deployment to provide emergency fire cover will inevitably impact on their ability to continue some of these tasks at the same level of effort. The longer service personnel are required to provide fire cover the greater the penalties that will accrue to other activities, and in particular on the Armed Forces personnel employed on these duties in place of professional firefighters.

High-Tech Equipment

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many defence personnel have been trained on equipment introduced in the last 10 years; and what scope there is for training more to help with the current firefighters' strike.

Adam Ingram: 31 Breathing Apparatus Rescue Teams (BARTS) and 59 Rescue Equipment Support Teams (RESTS)—a total of about 2,500 personnel—will be deployed should a fire strike take place. They will be fully trained, and provided with modern equipment, to undertake fire rescues and release road traffic accident victims.
	The 10,000 military personnel trained to operate Green Goddess fire tenders provided by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will provide basic levels of emergency cover in helping to bring fires under control, and they will act in support of BART and REST teams when fire rescue is required.

High-Tech Equipment

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what preparations he has made to ensure the safety and continuity of service to the public in the event of a firefighters' strike; and what the cost is to the Department of these actions.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 28 October 2002, Official Report, column 527W, by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The cost of providing emergency cover will depend on the extent and nature of any industrial action.

Service Families Taskforce

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of the service families taskforce.

Adam Ingram: The service families taskforce was set up by the Government in 1999 to deal with service family issues that were outside the control of the Ministry of Defence. However, it is now the tri-Service focus for family issues, both internal and external. Representatives of service families meet a Minister twice a year to discuss the issues that are of concern to them. In addition, bilateral meetings are held with other Government Departments, as necessary, to discuss changes to any rules and regulations that are considered detrimental to, and discriminate against, service families.
	Some are of progress by the Task Force over the last year are:
	(a) The new Adoption legislation has been amended to ensure that Service families will not be disadvantaged when overseas.
	(b) Legislative changes have been made to enable the Inland Revenue to pay Working Families Tax Credit to Service families on overseas postings.
	(c) We have resolved the problems that some Service spouses had encountered in claiming Child Support Agency payments when on an overseas posting.
	(d) As a result of discussions with the Department for Education and Skills, the new Code of Practice for School Admissions in England due for publication next year contains specific reference to Service families. This will assist the schools admissions process for their children.

Joint Strike Fighter Project

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress there has been to advance UK participation in the joint strike fighter project.

Geoff Hoon: The recent announcement of the selection of the Short Take off and Vertical Landing variant of Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) to meet the United Kingdom Joint Combat Aircraft requirement reaffirmed our participation in the JSF programme. This decision has been well received by UK industry.
	United Kingdom companies have already secured key roles within the programme as a result of their outstanding technology and ability to deliver value for money. Industry estimates that its involvement could be worth up to #27 billion over the whole life of the programme, creating or securing some 8,500 jobs. In addition, we are working closely with the US authorities to facilitate further involvement of UK companies and we are placing particular emphasis on arrangements to smooth the transfer of technology between the US and UK. This builds on the considerable progress already made under the declaration of principles.

NATO

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last discussed with NATO counterparts the potential enlargement of the Alliance; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: I regularly discuss a range of NATO issues, including enlargement, with my Alliance colleagues; I did so most recently at the informal meeting of Defence Ministers in Warsaw in September. The United Kingdom remains a strong supporter of enlargement and continues to look forward to a robust round at Prague.

NATO

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last discussed with NATO counterparts the potential enlargement of the alliance; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: I refer my hon. friend to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Tamworth (Mr Jenkins).

Service Personnel (Wales)

Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) service personnel and (b) agency staff in the defence field are employed in Wales; and how many were employed in 1992.

Adam Ingram: The number of fire service personnel currently employed in Wales on Ministry of Defence and QinetiQ sites is 105. This figure covers contract, civilian, and service personnel. As at August 2002, there were 3,733 Agency staff based in Wales; this figure includes those staff working for Trading Fund agencies.
	Information on fire service personnel and Agency staff employed in 1992 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Desert Terrain Equipment

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the suitability of the equipment available to the British armed forces for conflict in desert terrain.

Adam Ingram: The recent Exercise SAIF SAREEA 2 allowed us to identify and assess the challenge our armed forces could face when operating in testing desert conditions. This major exercise enabled us to evaluate strengths and indicated where we might make improvements to our equipment and procedures. As a result of the post-exercise evaluation, we are carrying out equipment enhancement programmes to meet the demands of desert environments.

Bullying

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures he is taking to combat bullying in the armed forces.

Adam Ingram: The services' policy is that no form of harassment or intimidation will be tolerated; all allegations are investigated, and appropriate action taken. Potential recruits are made fully aware of this policy and it is set out in the Armed Forces Diversity policy issued in June 2002. A confidential helpline is available in case of need. Officers and senior ranks have the responsibility to preserve good order and discipline at all times, and this is reinforced on appropriate training courses. All of these measures are kept under review and adjusted as necessary.

Test and Evaluation Ranges

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his Department's work to find alternative commercial opportunities at test and evaluation ranges.

Adam Ingram: Over the next year, Defence Estates will be closely examining QinetiQ's rationalisation plans for test and evaluation ranges to identify whether any property can be declared surplus to Ministry of Defence requirements and released for commercial opportunities. In addition, the Defence Diversification Agency (DDA) continues to work in support of the regional development agencies, which assume overall responsibility for economic regeneration issues. Wherever possible, the DDA assists local communities to secure diversification opportunities through the use of Ministry of Defence technology transfer, expertise and information sharing.

Civil Emergencies

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of (a) the Army and (b) the Royal Navy in assisting with UK civil emergencies.

Adam Ingram: All three armed forces provide support to the civil authorities during civil emergencies under well understood, long-standing arrangements. These fall into three broad categories: military aid to the civil community, which is provided at times of life-threatening emergency; military aid to other Government Departments, which is provided when essential services cannot be maintained in any other way, and military aid to the civil power which is the provision of specialist support to the police and other law enforcement agencies.

Warships

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Navy warships are operational.

Adam Ingram: There are currently 80 HM ships and submarines in the operational fleet. This includes all vessels that are operational or engaged in preparing for service, trials or training.

Reserves

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made in enhancing the role of the reserves in home defence; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces announced the full implementation of our proposals for the use of the Reserves in home defence and security in the House on 31 October 2002, Official Report, column 1023.
	The new arrangements will provide significant improvements in three areas. An enhanced regionally-based planning and command capability will make it easier for the authorities dealing with civil contingencies to secure rapid support from the Armed Forces, both Regular and Reserve. An integrated communications infrastructure will be provided by a Territorial Army unit, 2 (National Communications) Signals Brigade, for which we are acquiring new communications equipment compatible with that being introduced in the emergency services. Finally, we are establishing 14 Civil Contingency Reaction Forces, each of some 500 volunteers from existing Reservists, to provide a new planned capability to assist the emergency services and other authorities at short notice.
	In total the Reserve Forces will receive an addition of some 700 new posts and some 130,000 man-training days.

Army Recruits

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many Army regiments are running at more than (a) five and (b) ten per cent. below their recommended complement of non-commissioned officers, and if he will make a statement
	(2)  how many Army regiments are running at more than (a) five and (b) ten per cent. below their recommended complement of commissioned officers; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is not held by Regiment, but by Arms/Corps. Those Arms/Corps running at more than five per cent. below their recommended compliment of non-commissioned officers and warrant officers are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 Warrant Officers  
			 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps -37.9 
			   
			 Non-Commissioned Officers  
			 Royal Artillery -12.1 
			 Royal Signals -9.4 
			 Infantry -8.8 
			 Army Air Corps -21.2 
			 Royal Logistics Corps -6.4 
			 Royal Army Medical Corps -16.9 
			 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers -11.8 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps -25.0 
			 Small Arms School Corps -12.2 
			 Army Physical Training Corps -31.4 
			 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps -40.9 
		
	
	Those Arms/Corps running at more than ten per cent. below their recommended compliment of non-commissioned officers and warrant officers are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 Warrant Officers  
			 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps -37.9 
			   
			 Non-Commissioned Officers  
			 Royal Artillery -12.1 
			 Army Air Corps -21.2 
			 Royal Army Medical Corps -16.9 
			 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers -11.8 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps -25.0 
			 Small Arms School Corps -12.2 
			 Army Physical Training Corps -31.4 
			 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps -40.9 
		
	
	Non-commissioned officers are those soldiers with the rank of Lance Corporal up to and including Staff Sergeant. Warrant Officers are not classified as non-commissioned officers, the data has been included for completeness. All figures are as at 1 September 2002 and for trained personnel only.
	Those Arms/Corps running at more than five per cent. below their recommended compliment of commissioned officers are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 Royal Signals 5.8 
			 Army Air Corps 8.9 
			 Royal Army Chaplains Department 9.7 
			 Royal Army Medical Corps 27.0 
			 Adjutant General's Corps (Provost) 8.5 
			 Adjutant General's Corps (Staff and Personnel Support) 14.8 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps 17.4 
			 Royal Army Dental Corps 5.6 
			 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps 19.9 
			 Corps of Army Music 5.6 
		
	
	Those Arms/Corps running at more than ten per cent. below their recommended compliment of commissioned officers are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 Royal Army Medical Corps 27.0 
			 Adjutant General's Corps (Staff and Personnel Support) 14.8 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps 17.4 
			 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps 19.9 
		
	
	All figures are as at 1 September 2002 and for trained personnel only.

BAE Systems

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how long the arrangement whereby employees of BAE Systems work on secondment to his Department has been in place, and where those staff are based; how many employees of BAE Systems are on secondment to the his Department; and how many employees of other defence manufacturers are on secondment to his Department, with the number of employees per company.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 21 October 2002
	The interchange of personnel between the public and commercial sectors is an important feature of the Ministry of Defence's long-standing programme to build stronger links with other sectors of the economy. This programme aims to enhance business performance by exchanging ideas, skills and experience. Encouraging interchange activities is a key part of the Civil Service reform agenda.
	The information requested on inward secondees from defence manufacturers to the MOD is as follows:
	
		
			 Parent Company Number and location Total 
		
		
			 BAE Systems 3 based in Bath 2 based in London 1 based in Bristol 6 
			   
			 Rolls Royce plc Both based in Bath 2 
		
	
	In addition, there are currently two secondees from QinetiQ, one based in Bristol and one based in London.

Defence Logistics Organisation

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of the introduction by the Defence Logistics Organisation of a single IT system for recording and controlling stocks; and what practical difficulties are still to be addressed.

Adam Ingram: The Defence Logistics Organisation does not currently plan to introduce a single IT system for recording and controlling stocks.

EU-NATO Consultative Structures

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what permanent arrangements have been put in place to formalise structures and procedures for consultations between EU and NATO; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The arrangements for consultation between EU and NATO are set out in Annexe VII to Annexe VI of the Presidency Conclusions of the December 2000 Nice European Council. The arrangements for consultation outside times of crisis, as set out in part II of Annexe VII, are now in place.

European Rapid Reaction Force

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the European Rapid Reaction Force will be operational; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 23 October 2002, Official Report, column 348W.

Ferry Services (Portsmouth)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether ferry services in and out of Portsmouth harbour were suspended on 26 and 27 October due to dangerous weather conditions; who made the decision as to whether to suspend the services; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: In the event of adverse weather conditions, it is for individual ferry operators to decide whether to suspend services or not. Weather conditions affect some types of vessels more than others, and some ferry operators suspended their services while others did not.

Fleet Air Arm

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to supplement the Fleet Air Arm with additional pilots from foreign and commonwealth countries in order to achieve full manning for the 150 F35 aircraft, once they are acquired.

Adam Ingram: As announced by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Procurement, Lord Bach, on 30 September, it has been decided to purchase up to 150 short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) versions of the Lockheed Martin F35s to meet the future joint combat aircraft (FJCA) requirement for the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. These aircraft, which are due to enter service in 2012 with the first unit of a new class of carrier, will replace both the land and carrier-based Harrier aircraft of Joint Force Harrier.
	No final decision on aircraft numbers has yet been taken. The current planning assumptions to procure up to 150 includes not only front-line aircraft, but also provision for training, maintenance, trials, and attrition.
	It is planned that, as with Joint Force Harrier, both Royal Navy and Royal Air Force pilots will fly the F35 aircraft when it enters into front-line service. The exact requirements for front-line crews for the successor joint force have yet to be determined by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. On current planning assumptions it will not be necessary to supplement aircrew manning of the joint force from foreign and Commonwealth countries, as we are confident we will be able to fully man the force with regular Royal Navy and Royal Air Force pilots. However, as with all current operational and training squadrons, exchange personnel from foreign and Commonwealth countries may well fill some posts.

Gulf War Syndrome

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the current research programmes funded by the UK Government that involve examinations of UK Gulf War veterans.

Lewis Moonie: The current research programmes funded by the Ministry of Defence involving medical examinations of United Kingdom Gulf veterans are as follows:
	A study by researchers at Guy's, King's and St. Thomas' School of Medicine who carried out clinical tests on number of Gulf veterans who reported significant neuromuscular symptoms in their responses to an earlier epidemiological study funded by the United States Department of Defense. Work is now complete and the findings are expected to be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal before the end of this year.
	A study by a team at Manchester Royal Infirmary who analysed the levels of paraoxanase in blood samples collected by researchers at Guy's, King's and St. Thomas' School of Medicine (blood sample collection was not Ministry of Defence funded). Work is now complete and the results are expected to be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
	The Gulf Veterans' Medical Assessment Programme (GVMAP) established in 1993, continues to see patients following a referral from their doctors. Patients seen at the GVMAP undergo a battery of standard tests and if clinically justified, further tests are carried out. The clinical findings for 3,000 service and ex-service patients who attended the GVMAP in the period between 11 October 1993 and 18 June 2001 were published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine on 1 October 2002.

HMS Nottingham

Rachel Squire: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when a decision will be made as to where HMS Nottingham will be repaired upon its return to the UK from Australia; what the procurement process will be for the repair work that is needed to HMS Nottingham; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 22 October 2002, Official Report, column 143W, to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock). Bids from those companies invited to tender for any repair work will be assessed during Nottingham's journey back to the United Kingdom. Should the decision be taken to repair her, the intention would be to award a contract before she makes landfall in the United Kingdom.

HMS St. Albans

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the sea trials of HMS St. Albans to recommence; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: St. Albans completed her sea trials and became available to the Fleet Time on 30 September 2002.
	Until the full damage assessment is complete, and repair options have been considered, it is not possible to say when St. Albans will be able to resume her programme of operational training. Initial indications are that this might be achieved early in 2003.

HMS St. Albans

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the latest assessment is of the work needed to repair HMS St. Albans; how long this work will take; who will pay for it; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The extent of the damage sustained by HMS St. Albans is still being assessed, and until this completed it is not possible to determine how long the repair work will take. An investigation into the circumstances which led to the incident is underway and pending its outcome it is premature to say where repair costs will fall.

Home Defence

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on home defence priorities and how they have changed since 11September 2001.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has lead Government responsibility for counter-terrorist policy and security within the United Kingdom, and maintains oversight of the measures being taken to strengthen the United Kingdom's ability to respond to the terrorist threat. The armed forces make an important contribution in support of the police through their specialist skills and capabilities.
	Following the attacks on 11 September, as part of the Government's wider assessment of the implications for the United Kingdom, the Ministry of Defence undertook a detailed review of its contribution to home defence, based on the principles outlined in the Strategic Defence Review of 1998. The result was the SDR New Chapter, published in July this year. This outlined enhancements to the command structure for provision of support to the civil authorities and proposals for an enhanced role for the Reserves.
	The SDR New Chapter reaffirmed the need to take the fight to the enemy overseas to prevent, deter and disrupt attacks, but it also recognised the need to be better prepared to respond to a threat to the United Kingdom itself. Since 11 September 2001, we have improved our capability to intercept renegade aircraft and shipping, and refined our response to incidents involving the use of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear devices.

Anti-tank Missiles

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the findings of the search for the anti-tank missiles lost in the Bristol Channel.

Lewis Moonie: The Royal Navy Southern Diving Group's search report is currently being finalised. When it has been completed I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Low Flying

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints have been received from residents of Dumfries and Galloway by his Department in respect of low flying sorties by the RAF in each of the last five years.

Lewis Moonie: The number of complaints recorded by the Ministry of Defence Low Flying Complaints and Enquiries Unit over the last five years, from residents of Dumfries and Galloway, is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of complaints recorded 
		
		
			 Calendar year  
			 1997 184 
			 1998 177 
			 1999 192 
			 Training year(6)  
			 1999–2000 197 
			 2000–01 156 
			 2001–02 161 
		
	
	(6) From 1999, recorded by training year from 1 April to 31 March.

Machrihanish Airport

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to shorten the runway at Machrihanish airport.

Lewis Moonie: The Ministry of Defence has no plans physically to shorten the runway at Machrihanish. However, we have required Highlands and Islands Airways Ltd. to use a shorter runway in compliance with the terms of their current lease.

Military Airspace

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes to designated military airspace will be implemented following the closure of West Freugh airfield.

David Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
	No decisions have yet been taken about changes to the use of airspace when the airfield closes.

Military Low Flying Training

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many low flying training sorties have been flown over Dumfries and Galloway by the RAF in each of the last five years.

Lewis Moonie: Information on military low flying training in the United Kingdom low flying system is recorded for each low flying area (LFA) in the form of number of hours booked for the aircraft of all three services. Data for Dumfries and Galloway are incorporated in the total for LFA 16, which also includes the Borders region of southern Scotland and other countries up to and including those within the central belt. Figures quoted in the table indicate the number of hours low flying training has been booked by day and night in the LFA over the last five years.
	
		
			  Total Fixed-wing Helicopters 
		
		
			 Calendar year  
			 1997 4,023 3,455 568 
			 1998 3,680 2,946 734 
			 1999 3,544 2,843 701 
			   
			  Training year (7)  
			 1999–2000 3,408 2,830 578 
			 2000–01 3,735 2,939 796 
			 2001–02 4,080 3,279 801 
		
	
	(7) From 1999, recorded by training year from 1 April to 31 March
	Note:
	The figure for 2001–02 is some 13.5 per cent. lower than that recorded for 1995.

Military Medical Records

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether military medical records are made available once service personnel (a) have completed their military service and (b) are deceased; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: On leaving the armed forces, personnel are provided with a summary of their medical history (Form F Med 133—Medical History on Release from HM Forces) to give to their civilian doctor. Release of full military medical records is permitted if an individual makes a Subject Access Request to the appropriate Service Records Office. If an individual wishes to make his or her records available to other parties, such as civilian health care providers or solicitors, written consent must be given to release the records.
	In respect of deceased persons, the Access to Health Records Act 1990 applies. Records are usually released only for the purposes of litigation or claims, and disclosure of these records is subject to the consent of their executors. Where there are no executors, the consent of the administrator of the estate is required.
	Disclosure of medical records of deceased personnel to other Government Departments, such as to the War Pensions Agency for the purpose of establishing entitlement to War Widows' Pensions, is permitted only on a strict Xneed to know" basis.

Minelaying

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the Royal Navy's minelaying capability is; and what types of mine are in service.

Adam Ingram: The Royal Navy has no specialist minelaying vessels although most vessels in the fleet, including submarines, could be adapted to lay mines if deemed necessary. The Royal Navy does not have any mine stocks and has not had since 1992. Notwithstanding this, the United Kingdom retains the capability to lay mines and continues research into mine exploitation. Practice mines, used for exercises, continue to be laid in order to retain the necessary skills.

Nuclear Tests

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of compensation offered to service personnel of other states who participated in UK nuclear tests.

Lewis Moonie: Australian and New Zealand personnel who participated in the British nuclear test programme and who believe that they were injured or suffered a loss as a result of their participation are entitled to claim compensation from their own governments. However, the Governments of Australia and New Zealand have vigorously defended compensation claims on the grounds that particular regard was taken for the safety and welfare of test participants, and in the absence of evidence of negligence, there is no proper basis for settling the claims. I understand that no compensation has been paid to individual New Zealand veterans, but that 10 Australian veterans have secured compensation from the Australian Government.

Personnel Inquiry

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to publish the findings of the inquiry into armed forces personnel issues.

Adam Ingram: The current phase of the Service Personnel Process review, which I announced to the House on 17 July 2002, Official Report, columns 277–78W is due to be completed early in the New Year. I therefore expect to be able to make an announcement about its findings in the Spring. The final phase of the review is expected to last six months, which would point to a further announcement in the Autumn.

Porton Down

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set up a public inquiry into the health risks of the release of zinc cadmium sulphide and radio-xenon from the atomic research establishment, Harwell, by scientists from the chemical and biological defence establishment, Porton Down, in 1961; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: I do not consider it necessary to set up a public inquiry. In 1999, the Ministry of Defence commissioned Professor Peter Lachmann and a team of distinguished scientists to undertake an independent review of the fluorescent particle trials which occurred between 1955 and 1963, and included the four two-hour trials which also involved the release of 1 3 3 Xenon at Harwell in 1961. The MOD accepts the conclusion of this review, which was that XExposure to cadmium from dissemination of zinc cadmium sulphide during the 'cold war' should not have resulted in adverse health effects in the United Kingdom population". The findings of the review are summarised in an open literature paper entitled, XThe Risk to the UK Population of Zinc Cadmium Sulphide Dispersion by the MOD During the XCold War" (Occup. Environ. Med. 2002, 59, 13–17). Additionally, the complete review can be found at www.mod.uk/publications/zinc-cadmium.

Pride of Portsmouth (Collision)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who made the decision to allow ferry ships to enter Portsmouth harbour on the 26 and 27 October in poor weather conditions; who was consulted; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Queen's Harbour Master (QHM) is responsible to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence for the control of all movements within the Dockyard Port of Portsmouth in accordance with the Dockyard Port Regulation Act 1865 and the Dockyard Port of Portsmouth Order 1978. Although the weather conditions were poor they were not unusual and the duty Harbour Control Officer, acting under QHM's delegated authority and without the need for further consultation, made the decision to allow ferry movements in the harbour.

Pride of Portsmouth (Collision)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who authorised the tug boats to be used to assist after the collision of the P&O ferry Pride of Portsmouth and HMS St Albans on 27 October; who was in control of the tug boats; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Queen's Harbour Master (QHM) Portsmouth always provides a tug for cross channel ferry movements in winds exceeding 30 knots. A second tug is also available if required. In this case two tugs were provided for the move and were in attendance from the harbour entrance until the ferry berthed at the Commercial Ferry Port. The tugs were under the instruction of the Master of the ferry.

RAF Communications Systems

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in equipping RAF aircraft with secure air-to-air and air-to-ground communication systems fully interoperable with similar systems in use by the United States Air Force.

Lewis Moonie: A wide range of RAF platforms are fitted with secure air-to-air and air-to-ground communications. These systems are fully interoperable with coalition forces, including the United States.

RAF Machrihanish

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military landings and take-offs were recorded at RAF Machrihanish during each of the last five years.

Lewis Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

RAF Menwith Hill

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many (a) arrests, (b) reports with a view to prosecution charges, (c) arrests (d) actual prosecutions and (e) successful prosecutions there have been since 1996 under the (i) RAF Menwith Hill Military Land Byelaws 1996 and (ii) the RAF Fylingdales Military Land Byelaws 1986;
	(2)  what the cost to his Department is of (a) the new security developments to the main entrance to RAF Menwith Hill and (b) the road development and road widening to the main entrance to Menwith Hill;
	(3)  how many breaches of security, in each year since 2000, there have been at (a) RAF Menwith Hill, (b) RAF Fylingdales, (c) RAF Lakenheath, (d) RAF Molesworth, (e) Barford St. John, (f) RAF Croughton and (g) RAF Fairford; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The information requested for RAF Menwith Hill is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Arrests Reports with a view to prosecution 
		
		
			 1996–97 17 17 
			 1997–98 49 49 
			 1998–99 30 30 
			 1999–2000 32 32 
			 2000–01 5 5 
			 2001–02 7 7 
			 2002–03 to date 4 4 
		
	
	The records held in respect of RAF Fylingdales only go as far back as 1997–98 and indicate 11 arrests and two reports with a view to prosecution in financial year 2000–01. Prosecutions are a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney General.
	The number of incursions recorded against the Ministry of Defence installations indicated in the previous table are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of incursions 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 to date 
		
		
			 RAF Menwith Hill 1 1 1 
			 RAF Fylingdales 1 0 0 
			 RAF Lakenheath 1 0 (8)10 
			 RAF Molesworth 2 3 1 
			 Barford St. John 1 1 0 
			 RAF Croughton 4 3 0 
			 RAF Fairford 1 1 0 
		
	
	(8) This figure relates to incursions that took place on 6 October 2002 during a large demonstration at RAF Lakenheath.
	There was no cost to the MOD in respect of the works carried out at Menwith Hill. The cost was funded by the United States authorities.

RAF Squadrons

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RAF squadrons have their full complement of (a) pilots and (b) ground crews; which squadrons do not have a full complement of (i) pilots, (ii) ground crew; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: On 25 October 13 RAF front line fixed and rotary wing squadrons had their full complement of pilots and 20 had a full complement of ground crew.
	The following front line squadrons did not have a full complement of pilots: 1, 2, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 25, 27, 28, 31, 33, 43, 101, 111, 216 and 230.
	The following front line squadrons did not have a full complement of ground crew 7, 8, 18, 23, 25, 27, 28, 28, 33, 47, 70, 216 230.
	RAF manning shortfalls are well known and are being addressed. The RAF continues to meet its operational commitments.

Rapid Deployment Force

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from the US Administration regarding NATO's plans to set up a rapid deployment force unit; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: I discussed the proposal for a NATO Response Force (NRF) with the United States Secretary of Defence and other NATO colleagues at the informal meeting of defence ministers in Warsaw in September 2002. The proposed NRF concept is coherent with current work to reform NATO's command and force structures and enjoys the United Kingdom's strong support. Work is now under way within NATO to develop the NRF concept, and guiding principles are expected to be put before Heads of State and Government at the Prague summit for their agreement.

Refit Intervals

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his policy of refit intervals for Royal Navy warships.

Adam Ingram: The policy of refit intervals seeks to achieve a satisfactory balance between resources and operational requirements. In general terms, such refits will occur after eight to 12 years for submarines, up to 10 years for major surface ships and one to eight years for minor surface ships.

Submarine Sonar

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research he has undertaken into the effects of submarine sonar on the behaviour and health of cetaceans; and if he will make a statement on the conclusions of the research.

Lewis Moonie: The Ministry of Defence is undertaking a range of research projects into the effects of both submarine and surface ship sonar on the behaviour and health of cetaceans. This research is intended to inform the Ministry of Defence's conduct of Environment Appraisals and Environmental Impact Assessments, as required by the Secretary of State for Defence's Policy Statement of 7 July 2000 on the Management of Safety and Environmental Protection in the Ministry of Defence. That Policy Statement requires Environmental Impact Assessments to be conducted for all new equipment projects. A copy of the Policy Statement, together with a chapter on the conduct of Environmental Appraisal and Environmental Impact Assessment, can be found in the Ministry of Defence's Environmental Manual, JSP 418 which is in the Library of the House.
	The reason for the research programme is that, to date, it has not been possible to put forward any definitive conclusions on the effects of differing acoustic energy on marine mammals. The research, which is on-going, has not yet reached any conclusion. In addition to the research, Environmental Impact Assessments undertaken by the Ministry of Defence in respect of this subject will also be informed by evidence from leading experts both in the United Kingdom and the United States. We are also monitoring relevant scientific and environmental research around the globe on this issue.

Submarine Sonar

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to monitor the effects on cetaceans of the use of sonar in anti-submarine warfare operations.

Lewis Moonie: It is Ministry of Defence policy to consider the effects of sonar use on cetaceans. An environmental impact assessment is undertaken prior to all new projects and training activities. The way in which the equipment is then used during each subsequent training activity takes the assessment into account. Trials are preceded by a detailed environmental study of the operating area concerned. The operating area continues to be monitored while the trials are under way, and the activity is managed to minimize the potential impacts on cetaceans. Mitigation methods based on best scientific advice, such as acoustic and visual monitoring in accordance with Government and Joint Nature Conservation Committee published guidelines adapted for military use, are used so that the activity will be modified, delayed or moved as necessary.
	These measures provide a balance between the requirement for essential trials work and training, and the equally important need to avoid causing any significant adverse effect on the marine environment.

Suicide Prevention

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the rank of officer is who is responsible for suicide prevention at (a) Deepcut Barracks, Surrey and (b) Catterick Barracks, Yorkshire.

Adam Ingram: The responsibility for the welfare of recruits, including the identification of those who may be vulnerable to self-harm, rests with the entire chain of command. All staff are aware of the need to identify those who may be vulnerable and an army suicide prevention pamphlet, issued in January 2001, is widely available through the chain of command.
	Soldiers are encouraged to discuss any issues of concern and may seek advice from a number of individuals including their immediate superiors, the regimental medical office, Padre, unit welfare officer, Local Army Welfare Worker or Women's Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) welfare officer. WRVS staff are concentrated at the army's training establishments and provide regular, informal contact with recruits. Regular case conferences are held by these agencies to identify any soldiers who may be particularly vulnerable.
	If a soldier wishes to remain entirely anonymous they may ring the army's confidential support line, which has been in operation since December 1997 under the guidance of the Samaritans. Telephone charges are free to the caller from anywhere in the world and the line is widely publicised throughout the army community.

UN Global Ceasefire

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what plans he has to ensure the observance of the UN annual day of global ceasefire;
	(2)  what measures he took to ensure that Britain's armed forces observed the UN global ceasefire on 21 September;
	(3)  if he will list (a) the countries in which British armed forces are stationed and (b) those countries in which British armed forces observed the UN global ceasefire of 21 September 2001;
	(4)  what instructions were received by his Department on the observance of the United Nation's International Peace One Day.

Adam Ingram: In 2001 the United Kingdom co-sponsored GA Resolution 55/282, which fixed the International Day of Peace on 21 September each year. The primary objective of the day is to encourage parties engaged in civil war and armed conflict to allow humanitarian agencies to deliver relief and medical supplies to civilian populations. The United Kingdom continues to make an important contribution to United Nations peacekeeping efforts around the world, most notably in Sierra Leone and the Balkans.
	The full details as to the countries in which British armed forces are stationed are published in XTri-Service Publication 6, Global Location of Service Personnel", a copy of which can be found in the House of Commons Library.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action is intended to be taken against the (a) British-registered and (b) British-based persons listed by the UN as having violated the OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises in respect of their activities in relation to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Bill Rammell: The United Nations Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo alleges that 12 UK companies have violated the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. We are seeking more details. We are considering a substantive response to the report's recommendations.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the activities of those UK companies and persons based in the UK which have been criticised by the UN for breaking sanctions in respect of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Bill Rammell: The United Nations Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo alleges that some UK based companies and persons have breached sanctions on Zimbabwe and have supplied military equipment to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We are studying the report's allegations closely and are considering a substantive response to its recommendations. We will also be discussing action on these and other allegations at theUnited Nations Security Council.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what investigations his Department had carried out into sanctions-breaking by (a) UK companies and (b) British-based persons in respect of the supply of spare parts for British Aerospace Hawk jets of the Zimbabwe Defence Force to the Democratic Republic of Congo, prior to the publication of the UN Panel of Exports' report on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the DRC.

Bill Rammell: The information is as follows:
	(a) The recent UN Panel report on the Democratic Republic of Congo contains allegations in relation to the supply of Hawk jet spare parts. We are urgently seeking further details from the UN, and will investigate them fully.
	(b) None.

Charter of Fundamental Rights

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy on the Charter of Fundamental Rights is; how the Government plans to take that policy forward; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: holding answer 23 October 2002
	The Nice European Council agreed that the Charter of Fundamental Rights would be a political statement. As mandated by the Laeken European Council, the Convention on the Future of Europe is examining whether and, if so, how, the Charter should be included in the treaties. EU member states will take the final decision by unanimity at the Intergovernmental Conference in 2004. People need to know their rights and the EU institutions need to respect them. Our policy remains one of strong support for the charter.

Das Air

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the activities of Das Air.

Bill Rammell: The United Nations Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo lists a number of companies, including Das Air which it considers to have violated the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. We are seeking further details from the UN. We are studying the report's allegations closely and we are considering a substantive response to the report's recommendations.

European Union Officials (Salaries)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will provide a break down of salaries of officials of the European Commission by (a) pay grade and (b) number.

Denis MacShane: The following is a breakdown of the number of staff at each grade (top figure in cell) and their relative monthly salaries (bottom figure) within the Commission. Salaries are given in euros. Echelons are the individual pay steps within each grade.
	
		Echelons
		
			 Grade 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Total number of staff 
		
		
			 A1 1 
			 11,940.71 8 
			 12,575.01 7 
			 13,209.31 14 
			 13,843.61 11 
			 14,477.91 20 
			 15,112.21   61 
			 A2 17 
			 10,596.40 37 
			 11,201.67 29 
			 11,806.94 31 
			 12,412.21 46 
			 13,017.48 63 
			 13,622.75   223 
			 A3 36 
			 8,775.74 58 
			 9,305.18 79 
			 9,834.62 103 
			 10,364.06 111 
			 10,893.5 101 
			 11,422.94 49 
			 11,952.38 117 
			 12,481.82 654 
			 A4 38 
			 7,372.55 115 
			 7,785.79 198 
			 8,199.03 242 
			 8,612.27 325 
			 9,025.51 276 
			 9,438.75 221 
			 9,851.99 453 
			 10,265.23 1,868 
			 A5 134 
			 6,078.30 252 
			 6,438.40 444 
			 6,798.50 411 
			 7,518.70 229 
			 7,518.70 166 
			 7,878.80 95 
			 8,238.90 119 
			 8,599.00 1,850 
			 A6 160 
			 5,250.79 394 
			 5,539.39 453 
			 5,825.99 308 
			 6,112.59 127 
			 6,399.19 42 
			 6,685.79 19 
			 6,972.39 15 
			 7,258.99 1,518 
			 A7 449 
			 4,521.59 254 
			 4,746.58 433 
			 4,971.57 302 
			 5,196.56 93 
			 5,421.55 57 
			 5,646.54   1,588 
			 A8 145 
			 3,998.94 57 
			 4,160.21   202 
			 B1 9 
			 5,252.79 34 
			 5,539.39 72 
			 5,825.99 143 
			 6,112.59 137 
			 6,399.19 102 6,685.79 82 
			 6,972.39 229 
			 7,258.99 808 
			 B2 40 
			 4,551.14 143 
			 4,764.51 151 
			 4,977.88 179 
			 5,191.25 128 
			 5,404.62 122 
			 5,617.99 65 
			 5,831.36 56 
			 6,044.73 884 
			 B3 47 
			 3,817.46 192 
			 3,994.88 232 
			 4,172.3 244 
			 4,349.72 184 
			 4,527.14 102 
			 4,704.56 54 
			 4,881.98 37 
			 5,059.40 1,092 
			 B4 25 
			 3,301.76 191 
			 3,455.62 309 
			 3,609.48 268 
			 3,763.34 95 
			 3,917.20 45 
			 4,071.06 19 
			 4,224.92 22 
			 4,378.78 974 
			 B5 422 
			 2,951.34 39 
			 3,075.85 142 
			 3,200.36 150 
			 3,324.87 757 
			 C1 1 
			 3,367.66 5 
			 3,503.46 15 
			 3,639.26 59 
			 3,775.06 209 
			 3,910.86 222 
			 4,046.66 198, 
			 4,182.46 910, 
			 4,318.26 1,619 
			 C2  
			 2,929.16 1 
			 3,053.61 18 
			 3,178.06 99 
			 3,302.51 223 
			 3,426.96 292 
			 3,551.41 290 
			 3,675.86 390 
			 3,800.31 1,313 
			 C3 6 
			 2,732.35 33 
			 2,838.97 181 
			 2,945.59 364 
			 3,052.21 344 
			 3,158.83 241 
			 3,265.45 128 
			 3,372.07 123 
			 3,478.69 1,420 
			 C4 11 
			 2,468.89 178 
			 2,568.90 455 
			 2,668.91 401 
			 2,768.92 228 
			 2,868.93 56 
			 2,968.94 17 
			 3,068.95 125 
			 3,168.96 1,471 
			 C5 409 
			 2,276.47 17 
			 2,369.75 256 
			 2,463.03 183 
			 2,556.31 865 
			 D1 1 
			 2,572.75  
			 2,685.24 1 
			 2,797.73 13 
			 2,910.22 33 
			 3,022.71 50 
			 3,135.20 111 
			 3,247.69 253 
			 3,360.18 462 
			 D2  
			 2,345.85 3 
			 2,445.76 6 
			 2,545.67 53 
			 2,645.58 56 
			 2,745.49 43 
			 2,845.40 11 
			 2,945.31 15 
			 3,045.22 187 
			 D3 23 
			 2,183.37 1 
			 2,276.82 16 
			 2,370.27 50 
			 2,463.72 22 
			 2,557.17 7 
			 2,650.62  
			 2,744.07 1 
			 2,837.52 120 
			 L3 1 
			 8,775.74 1 
			 9,305.18 2 
			 9,834.62 2 
			 10,364.06 12 
			 10,893.5 8 
			 11,422.94 12 
			 11,952.38 7 
			 12,481.82 45 
			 L4 2 
			 7,372.55 12 
			 7,785.79 20 
			 8,199.03 53 
			 8,612.27 98 
			 9,025.51 91 
			 9,438.75 95 
			 9,851.99 157 
			 10,265.23 528 
			 L5 2 
			 6,078.30 53 
			 6,438.40 106 
			 6,798.50 113 
			 7,158.60 65 
			 7,518.70 50 
			 7,878.80 30 
			 8,238.90 36 
			 8,599.00 455 
			 L6 73 
			 5,252.79 84 
			 5,539.39 116 
			 5,825.99 77 6,112.59 23 
			 6,399.19 4 
			 6,685.79 2 
			 6,972.39  
			 7,258.99 379 
			 L7 105 
			 4,521.59 105 
			 4,746.58 84 
			 4,971.57 43 
			 5,196.56 20 
			 5,421.55 3 
			 5,646.54   360 
			 L8 41 
			 3,998.94 23 
			 4,160.21   64 
			  Total full and part time staff  21,767

Firefighters' Strike

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what preparations he has made to ensure the safety and continuity of service to the public in the event of a firefighters' strike.

Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Local Government and the Regions (Mr. Raynsford) on 28 October 2002, Official Report, column 527W.

International Criminal Court

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 21 October 2002, Official Report, column 38W, on the International Criminal Court, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the United States on a bilateral agreement with the United States regarding the exemption of US citizens from the ICC.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs had a number of discussions with US Secretary Powell about the US Government's request for a bilateral agreement under Article 98.2 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in the period leading up to the GAER Council on 30 September. On 17 October, and as part of a tour of four EU capitals, US officials visited London for discussions with FCO officials. Those discussions were of an exploratory nature: the British side explained that HMG was ready to respond, within the parameters of the Guiding Principles agreed by EU Foreign Ministers at GAERC on 30 September. No date has yet been set for further discussion.

Iran/Iraq (Military Conflict)

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Iranian Government regarding possible military action against Iraq.

Mike O'Brien: While in Iran on 9 October my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed a number of regional issues, including the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, which have in the past been used against Iran. Both sides agreed on the need for Iraq to comply with its obligations under UN resolutions.

Moscow Theatre Siege

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurances he has (a) sought and (b) received that the gas used by the Russian authorities was not in violation of the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.

Mike O'Brien: Following inquiries by the United Kingdom and others, Russian authorities have announced that the gas used in ending the siege on a Moscow theatre, on Saturday 26 October, was based on Fentanyl, an opium based narcotic. Fentanyl is not a chemical scheduled under the Chemical Weapons Convention. Non-scheduled chemicals are not in themselves prohibited under the Convention for use in law enforcement, including domestic riot control purposes. On 30 October, the Russian Health Minister, Mr. Shevchenko said XI officially declare that chemical substances of the kind banned under international conventions on chemical weapons were not used".

Namibia

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received about the Namibian Government's plans to pass emergency legislation to make it illegal for foreigners to own land; what his Department's policy is; what plans he has to discuss these issues with (a) his European counterparts and (b) members of the Southern African Development Community; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We understand that the Namibian Government are considering an amendment to the 1995 Land Reform Bill. We are seeking urgent clarification. EU Heads of Mission in Windhoek are drawing up a report on land reform, and the issue will be discussed within the EU framework. We will if necessary also raise the issue during contact with SADC members.

New Zealand

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library copies of the reports compiled by the secondee from Barrow International to the British Consulate in Auckland, New Zealand in 2001 into export opportunities in the New Zealand marine industry for British companies.

Bill Rammell: The report to which I believe the hon. Member is referring was produced in May 2000. I have today asked for the report to be placed in the Library of the House.

Pakistan

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to visit Pakistan.

Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has no immediate plans to visit Pakistan. He has visited the country three times in the last 12 months. I hope to be able to visit in the months to come.

Private Sector Secondments

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the standard contract letter which is drawn up between his Department and secondees from private companies before they start their secondment.

Bill Rammell: There are two standard contract letters—one with the secondee and one with the seconding company. I have today asked for these to be placed in the Library of the House.

Private Sector Secondments

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures are taken to prevent conflicts of interest involving secondees from the private sector to British embassies.

Bill Rammell: The potential for conflicts of interest is addressed when BTI and the FCO consider candidates for secondment opportunities and when setting up the secondments themselves. There are two letters of appointment: one with the secondee, and one with the seconding organisation. Both cover this issue. The letter to the secondee states:
	XIt is a prime condition of the secondment that you ensure that in the course of official duties there will be no conflict of interest that will cause either embarrassment to, or difficulties for, your parent organisation (Company) or the FCO. You will be expected to ensure that your position here is not, and raises no reasonable suspicion of being, abused either in your own personal interest, or in the interests of (Company). In practise this means that you should not undertake any work or research on behalf of (Company), or present yourself as a representative of the company, for the duration of the secondment. In addition, (Company) should not have priority access to information or sales leads you secure in your work with the (Post), but should receive this information at the same time as all other British companies operating in the market or sector. Any areas of work that might possibly give rise to conflict of interest should be discussed with your line manager. Please be aware that if any of these guidelines are breached, British Trade International reserves the right to consider immediate termination of the secondment."
	The letter to the seconding organisation states:
	XI trust (Company) will appreciate and share our concerns that, in the course of (Name) official duties with the FCO, there should be no conflict of interest that would, or might be, a source of embarrassment either to your company or the Department. In practise this means that (Name) should not undertake any work or research on behalf of (Company), or present himself/herself as a representative of the company, for the duration of the secondment. In addition, (Company) should not have priority access to information or sales leads secured in the course of (Name) work with the Embassy, but should receive this information at the same time as all other British companies operating in the market or sector. Please be aware that if any of these guidelines are breached, British Trade International reserves the right to consider immediate termination of the secondment. In addition, may I particularly draw your attention to paragraph vi of the attached letter."
	I have arranged for a copy of both letters to be placed in the Library of the House.

Private Sector Secondments

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library copies of the reports compiled by the secondee from British Nuclear Fuels following his secondment to the British embassy in Sweden between September 1999 and February 2000 to review the energy market in that country and identify opportunities for UK companies.

Bill Rammell: I have today asked for this report to be placed in the Library of the House.

Recruitment

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent in recruiting staff to his Department in (a) London and (b) the south east in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office recruits nationally. We do not, therefore break down the recruitment budget by region. The following figures include money spent on recruitment in its widest sense. This includes general marketing via careers fairs, as well as targeted marketing aimed at under-represented groups such as minority ethnic communities and women.
	
		
			 Financial year # 
		
		
			 1997–98 995,293 
			 1998–99 1,622,811 
			 1999–2000 1,999,803 
			 2000–01 2,543,387 
			 2001–02 2,791,659 
			 2002–03 (9)1,501,626 
		
	
	(9) To date

Soviet Polar Region Medal

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will grant veterans the right to receive and wear the Soviet Polar Region Medal.

Jack Straw: My Department has received no formal request from the Russian Government asking that permission be granted to issue the Defence of the Soviet Arctic Region Medal (also referred to as the Polar Region Medal) to British Veterans. Were the Russian authorities formally to ask for this campaign medal officially to be recognised in this country, the matter would be carefully considered, as are similar requests from foreign governments.

Turkey

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his estimate is for a date for Turkey to join the EU.

Denis MacShane: The British Government looks forward to Turkey's membership of the European Union as soon as possible. Turkey has not started accession negotiations because it does not yet meet the Copenhagen political criteria, which include rule of law, democracy and respect for human rights and minorities.
	We welcome the significant EU-related reforms that the Turkish Parliament has passed this year. As the Brussels European Council agreed, this has brought forward the opening of accession negotiations with Turkey. Brussels also encouraged Turkey to pursue its reform process and take further concrete steps in the direction of implementation.

UK-owned Equipment

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the Governments of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman concerning the operation of UK-owned and operated equipment of Israeli origin from their territories.

Mike O'Brien: I do not know of any such discussions.

Visa Offices

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the opening of visas offices in (a) Jallander, (b) Ahamedblad and (c) Lahore.

Bill Rammell: We intend to open offices in Jalandhar and Ahmedabad to make our visa services more accessible to our customers and to provide them with the advice they need. The offices will also act as visa application centres, forwarding completed applications to the relevant visa issuing post for consideration. We are also exploring the possibility of offering similar services in other cities in India.
	Given the security situation in Pakistan, there is no current plan to reopen the visa operation in Lahore.

Zimbabwe

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations his Department has received concerning the non-payment of pensions (a) by the Zimbabwe Government to British citizens and (b) to former British citizens in Zimbabwe; and what discussions he has had concerning the non-payment of pensions by the Government of Zimbabwe.

Bill Rammell: The FCO has replied to 20 letters from hon. Members and five from members of the public between June and September this year concerning non-payment of Zimbabwe civil service or company pensions to British citizens in the UK and overseas. We have also answered five written PQs since February this year.
	Responsibility for the payment of these pensions rests with the Zimbabwean authorities and the relevant pension fund managers. We regularly remind the Zimbabwean pension authorities of their responsibility to pay the pensions of those resident outside Zimbabwe in full and on time.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

National Fruit Scheme

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent on the National Fruit Scheme by the National Opportunities Fund in (a) 2000–01, (b) 2001–02 and (c) 2002–03 to date, broken down by region.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 31 October 2002
	#42 million is available under the New Opportunities Fund National School Fruit programme. Grants are being awarded through an allocation process. 27 areas have been allocated funds in phase 1 of the programme and these projects started in the summer term 2002. Further allocations will be announced during 2002 and 2003.
	The amount awarded to each of the 27 areas under phase 1 of the National School Fruit programme is set out in the table.
	
		
			 Lead organisation Amount of grant award (#) 
		
		
			 London Borough of Barking and Dagenham 180,460.00 
			 Birmingham Heartlands and Solihull NHS Trust (Teaching) 10,167,600.00 
			 Education Bradford 93,220.00 
			 London Borough of Brent 103,800.00 
			 Northamptonshire Heartlands Primary Care Trust 62,100.00 
			 Cornwall County Council 104,060.00 
			 Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust 136,540.00 
			 City and Hackney Primary Care Trust 130,792.00 
			 Enfield Primary Care Trust 155,980.00 
			 West Hull Primary Care Trust 59,860.00 
			 Lambeth Primary Care Trust 109,340.00 
			 Hinckley and Bosworth Primary Care Trust 111,580.00 
			 Luton Primary Care Trust 164,860.00 
			 Manchester City Council 152,100.00 
			 Central Liverpool Primary Care Trust 119,220.00 
			 Nottingham City Primary Care Trust 122,580.00 
			 Portsmouth City Council 129,300.00 
			 Plymouth Primary Care Trust 144,444.00 
			 Sheffield West Primary Care Trust 150,340.00 
			 Slough Borough Council 158,700.00 
			 Barnsley Primary Care Trust 82,792.00 
			 North Tees Primary Care Trust 124,860.00 
			 Newcastle Primary Care Trust 153,180.00 
			 Wakefield West Primary Care Trust 110,340.00 
			 Halton Borough Council 90,900.00 
			 Newham Primary Care Trust 102,792.00 
			 Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust 94,792.00

Football Commission

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what (a) recent discussions she has had with and (b) representations she has received regarding the Independent Football Commission; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what research (a) has been conducted and (b) is planned by her Department on the Independent Football Commission; and if she will place the related documentation in the Library.

Richard Caborn: The Independent Football Commission was launched in March. In addition to its work in considering individual complaints from supporters, the Commission has already considered issues of racism, merchandising, broadcasting, and the treatment of away supporters. The Commission's success in establishing itself and meeting its initial objectives will be considered in its first annual report, which is due to be published in January 2003. In advance of that report, the Government does not see a need for separate research into the Commission's activities.
	I have received one representation on the subject of the Commission since its launch. My Department has, however, drawn the attention of correspondents to it where this is appropriate. I met the Commission's Chairman, Professor Derek Fraser, on 30 April, and will meet him again on 7 January to discuss progress.

Lottery Funds (Village Halls)

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many representations she has received about the case for village halls to win an appropriate share of Lottery funds; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received numerous representations from Members of Parliament, village halls advisers and others about the funding difficulties facing village halls. Many village halls have received Lottery funding and the community fund alone has to date awarded #109 million for the building, extension and improvement of 2,271 village halls.
	We have asked Lottery distributors to work together to make it easier for community groups to access such funding. Last month distributors launched a #2 million trial programme in the West Midlands involving a shared application process for groups seeking up to #100,000 to improve their community building and the sports, arts or community activities that happen there.

National Lottery Funding

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will issue guidance to direct more funds from the National Lottery receipts to support projects for youth and young people, including the uniformed organisations, which create more facilities and organised opportunities designed to remove young people from the streets.

Richard Caborn: The Government has issued policy directions to Lottery distributing bodies which include a requirement to take into account the needs of children and young people in distributing Lottery funds. This summer, 11.5m from the New Opportunities Fund went directly towards diversionary activities for young people to help reduce street crime. We are currently consulting on the future of Lottery distribution and a dedicated Youth Fund is among the options proposed.

New Opportunities Fund

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent of the New Opportunities Fund on PE and sports in schools in rural England in (a) 2000–01, (b) 2001–02 and (c) 2002–03 to date.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 31 October 2002
	The New Opportunities Fund (NOF) has allocated funding to each LEA area to ensure that funding is available for projects in all parts of England. These allocations are made up of a baseline allocation (based on the size of the school population in the LEA) and a deprivation allocation (based on the levels of deprivation within the LEA).
	Out of the #581.25 million available under the New Opportunities for PE and Sport programme in England, NOF has committed around #83 million to date.
	Figures are not readily available in the format requested, but rural communities have benefited from the awards made to date, and will continue to benefit from this programme in the future.

New Opportunities Fund

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations have been made to her by the Scottish Executive on the operation of the New Opportunities Fund in Scotland.

Richard Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received a number of representations from the Scottish Executive about the New Opportunities Fund's operations in Scotland. The most recent of these concerned the future allocation of NOF funding in Scotland.

Olympics World Games

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures she will take to support the UK delegation at the Dublin Sspecial Olympics world games.

Richard Caborn: As the Special Olympics is a grassroots sporting event the United Kingdom delegation does not qualify for specific funding from either Sport England or UK Sport. I understand that in previous years the Special Olympics has canvassed for support from many organisations without relying on any one block grant.
	My right hon Friend the Prime Minister has recently provided a message of support for the Special Olympics XSupport an Athlete" fundraising initiative. XSupport an Athlete" will be launched in January 2003 and will provide companies, individuals and schools with the opportunity to sponsor an athlete or an entire delegation for the duration of the Games. The monies raised will cover all costs involved in hosting the delegations during their two week stay, and includes food, transport, insurance and entertainment for that period.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Pensioner Poverty

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on pensioner poverty.

Maria Eagle: We regularly receive representation from a variety of sources regarding our policies for tackling pensioner poverty. In addition both Ministers and Officials meet regularly with organisations that represent older people to discuss a range of issues of mutual interest.

Benefit Payments

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what measures his Department has taken to prevent pensions and benefits claimants with (a) learning disabilities and (b) registered sight loss from being penalised following the introduction of Automatic Credit Transfer;
	(2)  what funds have been allocated by his Department to prevent pensions and benefits claimants with (a) learning disabilities and (b) registered sight loss from being penalised following the introduction of Automatic Credit Transfer.

Malcolm Wicks: Many people in these circumstances already opt to be paid directly into their bank account. After April 2003 many others will be able to benefit from the greater flexibility that payment by automated credit transfer offers in terms of when and where they collect their money.
	The new service is being designed with the needs of all customers in mind. Banks are making their basic accounts accessible at the Post Office. The Post Office is developing a post office card account which is a simple account just for the receipt of benefit, pension and tax credit payments. As is now the case with orderbooks and girocheques, customers can, if they wish, nominate someone else to collect their money for them. In these cases a second card will be issued.
	Our information campaign will take customers through the changes that are being made to the way benefits and pensions are paid. Customers will be supplied with information which clearly sets out their account options including a leaflet which outlines the features of each type of account. This will help customers to decide which account best meets their needs and circumstances.
	There have been no specific funds allocated to this group of claimants as the Government are confident that a service will be in place to ensure they will not be disadvantaged.

Benefit Payments

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps will be taken to assist people in hospitals or otherwise unable to get to banks because of illness to collect pensions from source after January 2003.

Malcolm Wicks: As with orderbooks and girocheques now, customers would need to give someone else access to their account. The precise arrangement would depend on which type of account they have. For those with a current account there are a number of well established options which include Power of Attorney arrangements, third party mandate with the bank or provide another person with a signed letter of authority. Those with a post office card account will be able to nominate someone else to access their account through a second card.

Benefit Payments

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason the Post Office has issued guidance but it will not advise customers on the best route for the payment of benefits after January 2003.

Malcolm Wicks: It would not be appropriate for post office or Government staff to provide detailed financial advice, including which type of account people should open. The Government will make clear in its literature what options are available to customers. This literature will mention the option of continuing to collect money at a post office branch and the availability of the post office card account. The Post Office will also be able to supply information on banking at post offices. This will enable customers to decide which account best meets their needs and circumstances.

Benefit Payments

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 24 July, Official Report, column 1570W, on incapacity reviews, what the findings were of the previous studies of sample cases.

Nick Brown: The only previous study of a sample of cases was carried out in 1996 and found that on average the whole medical assessment process took 15.9 weeks where entitlement was confirmed and 17.7 weeks where benefit was withdrawn.

Adult Disadvantage

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the incidence of ageism in the workplace; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to discourage ageism in the workplace; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Brown: We have made a pledge to tackle age discrimination and we are committed to introducing age legislation covering employment, vocational training and guidance by 2006.
	We have been vigorously promoting the benefits of age diversity and recruitment, training and retaining of older workers to employers through our Age Positive campaign. The campaign focuses on raising employers' awareness of the business case for an age diverse work force and encouraging them to use the Code of Practice on Age Diversity in Employment to inform their employment policies. The campaign features a range of initiatives to promote age diversity, which are shown on our website www.agepositive.gov.uk.
	The Code of Practice, published in June 1999, sets out the standards for non-ageist approaches to recruitment, training, promotion, redundancy and retirement, and was developed with leading organisations including the CBI, TUC, the Employers Forum on Age and Age Concern. Evaluation of the Code of Practice, published last year, found that the number of companies using age in recruitment had fallen from 27 per cent. to 13 per cent. and those companies with a policy against employing older people has halved from 14 per cent. to 7 per cent. However it also indicated that 90 per cent. of people believe that employers do discriminate against older workers and although age awareness had increased considerably over the evaluation period, smaller employers were least likely to have realised the implications of ageism.

Adult Disadvantage

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's policy is towards ageism in the workplace.

Nick Brown: holding answer 29 October 2002
	We have made a pledge to tackle age discrimination and we are committed to introducing age legislation covering employment, vocational training and guidance by 2006.
	We are already encouraging employers to adopt non-ageist employment practices through our Age Positive Campaign. The campaign raises employers' awareness of the business benefits of an age diverse work force and encourages a flexible approach to retirement to open up choice and opportunity for individuals to stay in work longer.
	In 1999 we published the Code of Practice on Age Diversity in Employment which sets out the standards for non-ageist approaches to recruitment, training, promotion, redundancy and retirement. The code was developed with leading organisations including the CBI, TUC, the Employers Forum on Age and Age Concern. Evaluation shows that from 1999 to 2001 the number of companies using age in recruitment had already fallen from 27 per cent. to 13 per cent. and the number of companies having a policy against employing older workers had dropped from 14 per cent. to 7 per cent.
	Older workers have a wealth of skills and experience that can benefit individual businesses and the economy as a whole. Our policies will help to improve further the employment rate of people over 50, which has risen considerably since 1997.

Benefit Fraud

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the overall cost of (a) benefits fraud and (b) the agencies and actions taken to discover, prevent and prosecute benefit fraud in the last year for which figures are available.

Malcolm Wicks: Our latest estimate is that around #2 billion is lost annually through benefit fraud in Great Britain.
	The overall aim of the Department's anti-fraud strategy is to have a benefit system, which is secure from first claim to final payment. The implementation of this strategy means that an anti-fraud focus is integral to the work of all staff in the Department, as is dealing with the wider agenda of error and incorrectness in benefit payments. It is therefore not possible to identify separately the cost involved in tackling benefit fraud across the Department and its Agencies.

Backdated Benefits

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much money he estimates has been saved by the government since the rules for backdating of benefits were changed.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available.

Benefit Rates

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will raise the benefit rates for working age adults.

Malcolm Wicks: We keep all benefit rates under continuous review. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will make an announcement in due course about the proposed rates of benefit which will apply from April 2003.

Employment Agencies

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list his Department's employment agencies operating in Stoke on Trent.

Nick Brown: Jobcentre Plus has the following offices within the boundaries of the Stoke-on-Trent local authority area:
	Hanley Jobcentre
	Burslem Jobcentre
	Longton Jobcentre
	Stoke Jobcentre
	Hanley Social Security Office
	Longton Social Security Office

Firefighters' Strike

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what preparations he has made to ensure the safety and continuity of service to the public in the event of a firefighters' strike; and what the cost is to the Department of these actions.

Malcolm Wicks: We have put in place procedures to review internal contingency plans and evacuation procedures to ensure the safety of both the Departments staff and its customers. The cost of providing emergency cover will depend on the extent and nature of any industrial action.

Health and Safety Commission

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the change in the number of fatal injuries in the construction industry in (a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02.

Nick Brown: There were 113 fatal injuries in the construction industry including workers and members of the public, in 2000–01. The Health and Safety Executive's provisional figures for 2001–02 show that there were 85 fatal injuries to workers and members of the public for the corresponding period.

Health and Safety Commission

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many inspectors, excluding trainees, are employed by the Field Operations Division of the Health and Safety Executive in (a) Scotland, (b) Yorkshire and the North East, (c) the North West, (d) the Midlands, (e) Wales and the West, (f) London and the South East and (g) the Home Counties; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Brown: The number of inspectors, excluding trainees, employed by the Field Operations Directorate (FOD) of the Health and Safety Executive on 17 October 2002 is:
	
		
			 Division Number of inspectors 
		
		
			 Scotland 80 
			 Yorkshire and North East 85 
			 North West 75 
			 Midlands 106 
			 Wales and South West 75 
			 London 44 
			 East and South East 97 
			 Construction 148 
			 Total 710 
		
	
	The information is not available in the format requested. This reflects the re-organisation which took effect on 8 April 2002.

Health and Safety Commission

Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many companies have been fined for failure to insure their liability to their employees in the event of injury or disease sustained in the course of their employment in each year since 1997.

Nick Brown: The number of employers who have been fined by courts in England, Scotland and Wales for failure to have insurance cover as required by the Employer's Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 and the Employer's Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Regulations 1998 each year since 1997 is as follows:
	1997—7
	1998—1
	1999—4
	2000—1
	2001—12

Housing Benefit

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average level of rent paid through housing benefit to private sector tenants in Islington was in each of the past three years; and what the average rent charged to the tenants concerned was.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 22 October 2002
	The table shows the average weekly Housing Benefit payment and the average rent eligible for Housing Benefit for tenants living in the deregulated private sector, in the London Borough of Islington, at May 2000, 2001 and 2002. There is no directly comparable information about the actual rents paid by tenants.
	
		# 
		
			  Average weekly amount of Housing Benefit paid Average weekly eligible rent 
		
		
			 May 2000 93.00 95.80 
			 May 2001 101.80 105.60 
			 May 2002 112.70 117.10 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The data refer to households claiming Housing Benefit, which may be a single person, a couple or a family. More than benefit household can live in one property, for example two or more adults in a flat or house share arrangement.
	2. The eligible rent is the amount of rent which may be met by Housing Benefit after any restrictions applied by the rent officer, taking account of the cost of suitable accommodation in the area.
	3. Figures include cases where Housing Benefit is paid at the reduced rate due to the tenant's income.
	4. Figures exclude any extended payment cases.
	Source:
	Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. sample inquiries taken in May 2000, 2001 and 2002.

Maternity Benefits

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to introduce improvements to (a) statutory maternity pay and (b) maternity allowance.

Maria Eagle: Regulations were laid before Parliament on 1 November which:
	amend existing regulations to improve the current arrangements for Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance and;
	amend existing regulations dealing with Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit which are needed to take account of measures in the Employment Act 2002 which improve maternity rights and introduce new rights to paternity pay and leave and adoption pay and leave.
	These regulations are part of the package of measures developed to help working parents balance their work and family lives and significantly improve and extend the maternity payments made to pregnant and new mothers.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 24 October laid three draft Statutory Instruments which cover the improvements to maternity leave and the introduction of statutory adoption leave and pay and statutory paternity leave and pay.

Pensions

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the number of people required to retire from their jobs owing to reaching a certain age; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The Department has commissioned a study to update knowledge about older workers' participation in the labour market, including the influences on their remaining in employment and the reasons for retirement. This survey of 2,800 people aged 50–69 asked people why they retired, including whether this was a result of having reached their employer's normal retirement age. The findings from this research, which is on-going, are expected to be published in spring 2003.

Pensions

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will supply the National Pensioners' Convention with a copy of the Government's National Strategy on Pensions; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: A copy of the UK's national strategy report on pensions was sent to the National Pensioners' Convention on 17 September.
	All EU member states have produced reports as part of an exercise to exchange information and best practice on pensions. The UK report sets out current pensions policy. A draft Joint Commission/Council Report based on the information in the reports from member states is provisionally scheduled to be considered by EU
	Heads of State and Government at the spring European Council in 2003.
	Copies of the UK report are in the Library.

Pensions

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 24 October 2002, Official Report, column 487W, on contributions to non-state pensions, if he will estimate for each four year period for (a) all people, (b) men and (c) women the percentage of members of each quintile group who contributed to a non-state pension in at least three out of four years.

Ian McCartney: The information is in the table.
	
		Percentage of working-age individuals in each quintile contributing to a non-state pension in at least three out of four years by equivalised income quintiles (20 per cent. band) (Great Britain)
		
			  Bottom quintile Second quintile Third quintile Fourth quintile Top quintile All 
		
		
			 All   
			 1992–95 27 33 48 57 69 47 
			 1993–96 27 30 48 55 66 46 
			 1994–97 26 31 50 57 68 47 
			 1995–98 26 36 49 57 68 48 
			 1996–99 23 34 50 60 66 48 
			 1997–2000 21 36 49 60 68 49 
			   
			 Males   
			 1992–95 36 48 62 72 80 59 
			 1993–96 35 46 62 66 74 56 
			 1994–97 35 45 63 66 76 57 
			 1995–98 37 47 59 61 74 57 
			 1996–99 31 45 60 68 69 56 
			 1997–2000 31 47 58 68 70 57 
			 Females   
			 1992–95 19 17 33 42 59 35 
			 1993–96 18 14 33 45 59 35 
			 1994–97 19 17 36 47 61 37 
			 1995–98 17 24 37 52 62 39 
			 1996–99 16 22 40 51 63 40 
			 1997–2000 13 25 39 50 65 41 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. All figures are estimates and are taken from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) data set. The BHPS is a longitudinal data set developed at the University of Essex, Institute for Social and Economic Research. The latest data available is for the period 1997 to 2000.
	2. The estimates are sample counts, which have been adjusted for non-response using multipurpose grossing factors. Estimates are subject to both sampling error and to variability in non-response. The income measure used is total equivalised household income (that is to say income that is adjusted to reflect the composition of the household).
	3. Individuals are assigned between quintiles according to their household income in the first year of each of the four year periods.
	Source:
	BHPS

Post Offices

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what plans he has to inform benefit and tax credit claimants that they will be able to receive their entitlement in cash over the counter at the Post Office after April 2003;
	(2)  what plans he has to publicise the availability of the new Post Office card account.

Malcolm Wicks: Customers are being supplied with information (including letters and leaflets), which clearly sets out their 'account options'. They can choose the bank or building society account (including the Post Office card account) which best meets their needs and circumstances. All of the Department for Work and Pensions material sets out the key features of the various accounts and mentions the availability of collecting cash from the Post Office, and the Post Office card account. The material the Inland Revenue have sent out with new Tax Credit application forms also clearly sets out the various account options, and the fact that people will still be able to collect their money from the Post Office if they wish.

Winter Fuel Payments

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer of 15 October 2002, Official Report, column 643W, on winter fuel payments, on what basis he has estimated the one-off cost of paying backdated winter fuel payments for 1997–98 to 2001–02 to British citizens living within the European Economic Area to be less than the future annual cost.

Ian McCartney: The one-off costs quoted in my written answer on 15 October 2002, Official Report, column 643W were the administrative costs associated with the implementation of the changes.
	The annual cost is the estimated on-going cost of the actual winter fuel payments. Our estimate of the first year cost of such winter fuel payments is around #21 million, which takes account of entitlement for past periods.

Fraud

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken by his Department's Operational Intelligence Unit to respond to requests from local benefit fraud inspectors to requests for data in suspected fraud cases under the terms of the Social Security Fraud Act has been.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Advertising

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list external (a) public relations/communications companies, (b) advertising and marketing companies, (c) management consultancies, (d) accountancy companies, (e) banking firms, (f) individual consultants and (g) other specialist consultancies used by his Department since June 2001; what actions those consultancies/companies have performed within his Department; and what costs have been incurred through use of these consultancies/companies.

Nick Brown: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Jobcentre Plus

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that Jobcentre Plus services are available throughout rural areas.

Nick Brown: We understand the difficulties that people living in rural areas can face, both in securing employment and gaining access to our services. We are therefore developing new ways of making Jobcentre Plus services more accessible to such people, for example by:
	providing a single point of access to jobs and benefits
	providing access to jobs through call centres, touch screen 'Jobpoints' in a wider range of locations, and the internet
	enabling people to make claims for benefit by telephone, and eventually through other channels such as the internet
	extending outreach services such as local community surgeries
	making services available through mobile units
	delivering services from premises shared with our partners in the local community, for example local authorities
	We have introduced new services which should be particularly useful for Jobcentre Plus customers in rural areas. XJobseeker Direct"—on 0845 6060234—is a telephone jobfinding service available to both unemployed and employed people. They can also look for jobs and learning opportunities on the internet, through two websites www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk and www.worktrain.gov.uk.
	The integrated Jobcentre Plus offices which we will be extending throughout Great Britain over the next four years will offer a significantly enhanced telephone service that will improve access to services for those who do not live near a Jobcentre Plus office. Each Jobcentre Plus office will have a dedicated telephone contact centre open from 8.30 am to 6.00 pm. Customers will be able to make their initial claim to benefit through this service and book appointments with Personal Advisers.

Employment Initiatives

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to increase the (a) amount and (b) quality of support for the educational, training and employment scheme employees.

Nick Brown: The amount and quality of support available to participants on our educational, training and employment programmes is under constant review as part of our continuous improvement agenda. This is led by Jobcentre Plus in partnership with the organisations delivering the programmes. Organisations wishing to compete for our education, training or employment related contracts are asked to set out how they intend delivering the programme, including the amount and quality of support they will offer participants. The providers who win the contracts are then subject to contractual and quality audits by Jobcentre Plus regional contracts managers, district quality management teams and, in some cases, the Adult Learning Inspectorate. These seek to ensure that providers deliver to the standards proposed in their bids and to support continuous improvement in the quality of their provision.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Food Import Inspections

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects harmonised European Union legislation will be in force covering food of non-animal origin.

Hazel Blears: I have been asked to reply.
	I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that the European Commission is still preparing its proposal for a regulation on official feed and food controls which will cover, inter alia, harmonised controls for imports of food of non-animal origin. The Commission expects to submit its final proposal to the European Council in late November 2002. It is unlikely, therefore, that the Regulation will be agreed and come into force before 2004.

Recycling

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list local authorities that are (a) failing to meet Government recycling targets, (b) expected to meet them and (c) exceeding them; and what the estimates are for recycling in England for (i) the current year and (ii) 2003–04.

Michael Meacher: holding Answer 19 July 2002
	Local authority Statutory Performance Standard (Xtargets") for recycling and composting of household waste have been set for the years 2003–04 and 2005–06. Local authorities will submit performance data against which these targets will be measured to the Audit Commission in Summer 2004 and audited performance figures will be available towards the end of 2004.
	Targets for individual authorities are listed in the publication XGuidance on Municipal Waste Management Strategies" March 2001. Copies of this document were placed within both libraries of the House on 5 March 2001. They are also published on DEFRA's website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/management/guidance/mwms/10.htm.
	We will have audited recycling performance figures for 2001–02 in December 2002 and this should give us an indication of progress to targets. A document setting out individual local authorities' targets and the most recent available data for their household waste recycling rates (2000–01), set out in ascending order according to their recycling and composting rate for 2000–01, has been placed in both libraries of the House (Table A).
	A further document (Table B) setting out the same information, but also including a column showing the difference between the 2000–01 rate and the 2003–04 target, in order to show Xprogress to target", has also been placed in both libraries of the House. Those furthest from their target in percentage points are shown at the top of the table. Note that, since all authorities had to achieve different levels of improvement to reach their target, that table does not allow for exact comparison.
	We set targets in a way which means all authorities would have to improve their performance over their rate in 1998–99, no matter what their starting point. For that reason, when tracking local authorities' recycling performance, we consider how much the recycling rate has increased, rather than looking simply at the rate.
	I have written to the leaders of the local authorities that are listed below about recycling. In these authorities, preliminary performance data for 2001–02, taken from 2002–03 Best Value Performance Plans, shows that the authority's recycling rate has decreased, stayed the same, or only increased by 1 per cent. between 1998–99 and 2001–02. I have invited the relevant leaders to identify work that is already in hand to meet their 2003–04 Statutory Performance Standard for recycling and composting of household waste and to consider the need for further action where this is relevant.
	Adur District Council
	Arun District Council
	Aylesbury Vale District Council
	Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council
	Bassetlaw District Council
	Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council
	Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council
	Bournemouth Borough Council
	Bradford City Council
	Breckland District Council
	Brentwood Borough Council
	Brighton & Hove Council
	Broadland District Council
	Broxtowe Borough Council
	Cambridge County Council
	Cannock Chase District Council
	Carlisle City Council
	Charnwood Borough Council
	Christchurch Borough Council
	Copeland Borough Council
	Corby Borough Council
	Cotswold District Council
	Craven District Council
	Cumbria County Council
	Dartford Borough Council
	Derby City Council
	Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council
	Dorset County Council
	Dover District Council
	Easington District Council
	East Dorset District Council
	East Northamptonshire District Council
	East Staffordshire Borough Council
	Eastbourne Borough Council
	Ellesmere Port & Neston Borough Council
	Elmbridge Borough Council
	Exeter City Council
	Fareham Borough Council
	Forest of Dean District Council
	Fylde Borough Council
	Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council
	Gloucester City Council
	Gosport Borough Council
	Gravesham Borough Council
	Hampshire County Council
	Harrogate Borough Council
	Hertsmere Borough Council
	Horsham District Council
	Hyndburn Borough Council
	Kettering Borough Council
	Kingston upon Hull City Council
	Lancaster City Council
	Lincoln City Council
	Liverpool City Council
	London Borough of Barking & Dagenham
	London Borough of Barnet
	London Borough of Bexley
	Longon Borough of Croydon
	London Borough of Ealing
	London Borough of Enfield
	London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham
	London Borough of Haringey
	London Borough of Newham
	London Borough of Redbridge
	London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
	London Borough of Southwark
	London Borough of Tower Hamlets
	Macclesfield Borough Council
	Manchester City Council
	Mansfield District Council
	Medway Council
	Mendip District Council
	Mid Suffolk District Council
	Mid Sussex District Council
	Milton Keynes Council
	Newark & Sherwood District Council
	Newcastle upon Tyne City Council
	Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council
	North Cornwall District Council
	North Dorset District Council
	North Kesteven District Council
	North Norfolk District Council
	North Shropshire District Council
	North Tyneside Council
	North Warwickshire Borough Council
	North West Leicestershire District Council
	Northampton Borough Council
	Northumberland County Council
	Nottingham City Council
	Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council
	Oadby & Wigston Borough Council
	Oswestry Borough Council
	Poole Borough Council
	Purbeck District Council
	Reigate & Banstead Borough Council
	Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council
	Rossendale Borough Council
	Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
	Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea
	Runnymede Borough Council
	Rushmoor Borough Council
	Rydale District Council
	Sedgemoor District Council
	Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
	Sheffield City Council
	Shepway District Council
	Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council
	Shropshire County Council
	Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
	South Bedfordshire District Council
	South Kesteven District Council
	South Lakeland District Council
	South Oxfordshire District Council
	South Somerset District Council
	South Staffordshire Council
	St Albans City and District Council
	Stevenage Borough Council
	Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
	Stockton-on-Tees Council
	Stoke-on-Trent City Council
	Sunderland City Council
	Swindon Borough Council
	Tandridge District Council
	Taunton Deane Borough Council
	Teesdale District Council
	Thanet District Council
	Three Rivers District Council
	Tewkesbury Borough Council
	Tynedale District Council
	Warwick District Council
	Warwickshire County Council
	Watford Council
	Waveney District Council
	Waverley Borough Council
	West Berkshire Council
	West Devon Borough Council
	West Lancashire District Council
	Western Riverside Waste Authority
	Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council
	Worcester City Council
	Worthing Borough Council. bjclynne/mickm

Climate Change

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made (a) on the Government sustainability index on climate change and (b) towards the Government's domestic target for a 20 per cent. reduction in CO2 emissions based on 1990 levels; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: (a) The latest figures for the Headline Sustainable Development Indicator for Climate Change were published in a Defra Statistical Press Release on 28 March. Emissions on the Xbasket" of six greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol, weighted by global warming potential, fell by 13.2 per cent. between the 1990 base year and 2000, the last year for which confirmed data is available. There was no change between 1999 and 2000. The UK has a target under the Kyoto Protocol to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2008–12. We remain on course to achieve this target.
	(b) A provisional estimate of carbon dioxide emissions for 2001, based on energy use, was published by the Department for Trade and Industry in March in its Energy Trends publication. This estimated that carbon dioxide emissions were 154.4 million tonnes of carbon, approximately 6 per cent. below the UK's 1990 baseline emissions of 16.4 million tonnes of carbon.

Agricultural Support

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of support given to farmers in other countries to enable and encourage them to care for the environment and countryside; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: Precise support arrangements vary widely between countries. Within the EU, all Member States are able to operate programmes under the Rural Development Regulation. These include agri-environment schemes which encourage farmers to adopt environmentally beneficial farming practices by compensating farmers for the costs and income foregone and by providing an incentive payment.
	The Department recently received the final report of an economic evaluation of agri-environment schemes commissioned from the Centre for Rural Economics Research at the University of Cambridge. This report included a comparison of agri-environment schemes offered in other European countries. It will be published shortly and will be available on the Defra website.
	All Member States submit mid-term evaluations of their rural development programmes to the European Commission at the end of 2003. The results should allow an EU-wide comparison and assessment of rural development support in general, including agri-environment support.

British Cattle Movement Service

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the accuracy of data held by the BCMS; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of how up to date the information held by the BCMS is; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: The British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) works hard to validate and cleanse the information it is sent by cattle keepers. The information received by BCMS can often be incomplete or incorrect. The BCMS and the Paying Agencies throughout Great Britain cross check their data to confirm accuracy and identify and rectify anomalies. This is a time consuming and laborious process. The BCMS is working with partners in Government and Industry to improve the quality of the data that it receives.

Refrigerators

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many refrigerators are awaiting disposal in Essex; and how much it will cost to dispose of them.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 31 October 2002
	The exact number of fridges being stored pending treatment in either waste collection authority or waste disposal authority at any one point in time are not held centrally. However, current estimates suggest there are more than 900,000 units awaiting treatment in the UK.
	The initial annual UK cost is likely to be around #40 million. This will decrease as plant are commissioned, competition becomes established and more fridges that do not need treatment enter the waste stream.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Press Advertising (Devolved Posts)

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-devolved posts were advertised in the Press in each year since June 1999; and what percentage of them were advertised in the Scottish press.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 24 October 2002
	The information requested is not available.

Press Advertising (Devolved Posts)

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to improve the detection of crime and to increase the numbers of criminals brought to justice.

John Denham: I refer my hon Friend to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Dudley North (Ross Cranston) on 28 October 2002, Official Report, column 626W.

Press Advertising (Devolved Posts)

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Government's involvement with the International Organisation for Migration; and the role he expects that organisation to take in the UK.

Beverley Hughes: The United Kingdom (UK) joined the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in June 2001. This was a result of an agreement between the Home Office, the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as the UK was increasingly making use of the lOM's services, and the increasing level of work being taken forward by the Home Office in conjunction with the IOM was at odds with the United Kingdom's retaining Xobserver"status.
	The Government funds many projects undertaken by the IOM. The IOM co-ordinates the delivery of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's Voluntary Assisted Returns Programme for asylum seekers and failed asylum seekers.
	Additionally, the UK part finances IOM projects on return and reintegration.
	Furthermore, the IOM have considerable expertise in supporting the victims of people trafficking, and Home Office officials have consulted closely with the IOM in order to develop support systems for victims of trafficking.
	We see lOM's assistance to be crucial to our plans for practical action against illegal migration, by working proactively beyond our borders.

Press Advertising (Devolved Posts)

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the application pack for candidates for the job of Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality; and if he will make a statement on the differences between this pack and those issued to applicants for this post on previous occasions.

Beverley Hughes: I have today placed a copy of the information pack for candidates for the post of Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) in the Library.
	The post of Chair was advertised for the first time in 1999. On that occasion the pack set out basic information about the CRE and the person specification. This time the information pack has been re-designed to provide additional information about the wider race equality agenda and the government's support for the work of the Commission. No new requirements have been added to the role of the Chair, but more information about the role has been included in the information pack.

Press Advertising (Devolved Posts)

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those public bodies for which his Department is responsible where provision is made in the job description of the Chairman that the policies of the body be compatible with those of the Secretary of State.

Beverley Hughes: The information pack sent to candidates for the post of Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE), which is currently vacant, states that:
	XThe Chair must ensure that the CRE's policies are compatible with those of the Secretary of State and that the Commission's affairs are conducted with probity"
	The requirement is not a new one as the Commission for Racial Equality's policy and resource framework is agreed with Ministers who remain accountable to Parliament for the work and efficiency of the Commission.
	To my knowledge, this particular form of words has not been used in the job descriptions sent to applicants for the post of Chair of other public bodies sponsored by the Home Office. However, all non Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) agree their policy and resources framework with Ministers, and Ministers are answerable to Parliament for the policies and performance of all public bodies sponsored by their departments, including their use of resources and the policy framework within which they operate.

Asylum Applications

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for asylum were made during each of the last three years at (a) Glasgow airport, (b) Edinburgh airport, (c) Rosyth port and (d) Stranraer port.

Beverley Hughes: Asylum applications were as follows:
	
		
			 Date Number of applications 
		
		
			 Glasgow airport (including Prestwick airport)  
			 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2000 4 
			 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001 20 
			 1 January 2002 to 30 October 2002 (10) 23 
			   
			 Edinburgh airport  
			 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2000 6 
			 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001 16 
			 1 January 2002 to 30 October 2002 (10) 19 
			   
			 Rosyth  
			 May 2002 to date(11) (10) 2 
			 Stranraer/Cairnryan  
			 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2000 11 
			 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001 31 
			 1 January 2002 to 30 October 2002 (10) 42 
		
	
	(10) Data for 2002 are from local management information and may be subject to change.
	(11) The ferry service into Rosyth has only operated since May 2002.

Asylum Applications

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what resources are available to process asylum applications at (a) Belfast port and (b) Larne port.

Beverley Hughes: No permanent resources are in place at either Belfast or Larne ports. Neither port has international ferry services and accordingly there is no operational need for UK Immigration Service personnel to be stationed there. Any person who indicated to port staff at either port that they wished to claim asylum would be directed to the UK Immigration Service office at Belfast International Airport, where arrangements would be made for screening and interview in the normal way.

Asylum Applications (Northern Ireland)

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons claimed asylum during each of the last three years in Northern Ireland.

Beverley Hughes: No statistics are kept of the numbers of asylum applicants in Northern Ireland, or any other geographic region in the United Kingdom.

Asylum Applications (Northern Ireland)

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what resources are available to the Immigration Service in dealing with asylum applications made on entry to Northern Ireland from Eire.

Beverley Hughes: Any person seeking asylum in Northern Ireland is directed to the UK Immigration Service staff at Belfast International airport, where arrangements are then made for their screening and interview in the same way as a person seeking asylum elsewhere in the UK.
	The Belfast office currently has 11.5 staff, part of whose duties is to screen new asylum applicants identified in Northern Ireland.

Asylum Centres

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria are being used in assessing the suitability of contractors for operating the proposed new centres for asylum seekers; and who will decide on the award of contracts.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 31 October 2002
	Tender documents for the design, build and operation of accommodation centres have not yet been issued to potential contractors.
	In due course, the criteria to be used in evaluating bids will involve project management; legal and financial responses; design and construction; and delivery of services and maintenance. Home Office Ministers will make decisions to award contracts.

Asylum Seekers

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made for a full year of the cost of the withdrawal of the work concession to asylum seekers in (a) added benefit and (b) payments to detainees; and what he estimates to be the net difference in the costs to each removal centre of employing contract and agency labour in place of detainees working in cleaning and kitchens.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 31 October 2002
	We do not have figures on the additional costs, if any, of providing support to asylum seekers who can no longer seek permission to work. Internal management Information indicates that during the financial year 2001–02 we made initial decisions on the vast majority of new substantive applications within the initial six months. The number who might have been able to benefit from the concession is therefore much reduced.
	The percentage of new substantive cases in 2001–02 which were decided within six months will be available from 29 November 2002 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1 .html
	The work concession for asylum seekers did not extend to asylum seekers in detention.
	Immigration detainees held in Immigration Service removal centres have never been required to work nor are they expected to assist in the running of the centres.
	Following their redesignation earlier this year as removal centres, the Prison Service detention facilities at Dover, Haslar and Lindholme ceased to operate under Prison Rules. As a consequence, detainees no longer had the opportunity to undertake paid employment in the centres and the practice of relying on such work for the provision of certain ancillary services came to an end. Work formerly undertaken by detainees at these centres has been contracted out or transferred to agency staff. For this year this has resulted in a net additional cost of #1.09 million. This will be met from the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's budget.

Asylum Support

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) local authorities, (b) private sector contractors and (c) voluntary sector contractors are providing accommodation and support services for asylum seekers; and what the financial value is of tenders awarded to each sector.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 31 October 2002
	The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Contracts Grant agreements 
		
		
			 Private sector 11 — 
			 Local authorities 11 — 
			 Voluntary sector — 6 
		
	
	Information on the financial value of contracts is not available in the form requested.

Asylum Support

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what geographical areas are covered in each region in the regional breakdown used by NASS; and what powers and responsibilities have been delegated to the individual regions.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 31 October 2002
	The areas covered by each region are as follows:
	
		
			 Region County 
		
		
			 East of England Norfolk 
			  Suffolk 
			  Essex 
			  Cambridgeshire 
			  Hertfordshire 
			  Bedfordshire 
			 East Midlands Derbyshire 
			  Nottinghamshire 
			  Leicestershire 
			  Lincolnshire 
			  Northamptonshire 
			 Greater London London 
			 South Central and East Dorset 
			  Buckinghamshire 
			  Oxfordshire 
			  Berkshire 
			  Hampshire 
			  Surrey 
			  West Sussex 
			  East Sussex 
			  Kent 
			 North East Northumberland 
			  Tyne and Wear 
			  Durham 
			  Cleveland 
			 North West Greater Manchester 
			  Merseyside 
			  Lancashire 
			  Cheshire 
			  Cumbria 
			 Northern Ireland County Antrim 
			  County Down 
			  County Armagh 
			  County Tyrone 
			  County Fermanagh 
			  County Derry 
			 Scotland Dumfries and Galloway 
			  Borders 
			  Lothian 
			  Strathclyde 
			  Central 
			  Fife 
			  Tayside 
			  Grampian 
			  Highland 
			 South West Cornwall 
			  Devon 
			  Somerset 
			  Avon 
			  Wiltshire 
			  Gloucestershire 
			 Wales Gwent 
			  South Glamorgan 
			  West Glamorgan 
			  Mid Glamorgan 
			  Dyfed 
			  Powys 
			  Clwyd 
			  Gwynedd 
			  Anglesey 
			 West Midlands Staffordshire 
			  Shropshire 
			  West Midlands 
			  Hereford and Worcester 
			  Warwickshire 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside North Yorkshire 
			  West Yorkshire 
			  South Yorkshire 
			  Humberside 
		
	
	National Asylum Support Service (NASS) is planning to increase the number of its staff in each major region. It is expected that the regional infrastructure will be in place by the end of the current financial year. Under the regionalisation programme work related to investigations, outreach and housing contract management will be delegated, with the expectation that aspects of operations work will follow at a later date. Actual locations of individual offices within regions are still being finalised.

Asylum Support

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many private contractors providing accommodation or support for asylum seekers have been dropped since 1997 because of dissatisfaction with their performance.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 31 October 2002
	The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) became operational on 3 April 2000. Since that date NASS has not terminated any contracts with private sector contractors providing accommodation or support asylum seekers.

Chechens (Deportation)

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will postpone the deportation of Chechens to Russia.

Simon Hughes: holding answer 31 October 2002
	The Home Office, in conjunction with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, closely monitors the situation in the Russian Federation, and in particular, the conflict in Chechnya. We are aware that the Russian authorities have intensified their security operations in the wake of the terrorist incident in Moscow, but the impact of this remains unclear thus far. Our deportation policy, however, is kept under constant review.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter to him dated 3 September from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Tabasum Raja and Asif Kamal.

David Blunkett: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 30 October 2002.

Criminal Records Bureau

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the Criminal Records Bureau delivers an effective service to its customers.

David Blunkett: The Government is committed to the delivery of an effective service for undertaking pre-employment criminal record checks for people working with children and vulnerable adults. The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) has not so far been able to provide a satisfactory service.
	A number of steps have already been taken to improve the CRB's performance. In May an initial service improvement plan was put in place. As a result the number of disclosures issued by the CRB has increased from an average of 24,500 per week in August to an average of 39,500 per week in the three weeks ending 26 October. The CRB has now issued 541,000 disclosures.
	In addition, in September I announced the appointment of an independent team, led by Patrick Carter, to take a fundamental look at the strategy and operations of the CRB and its private-sector partner, Capita. The team will be looking to identify the longer-term changes in the way the CRB operates to ensure that it can meet the demand both for the standard and enhanced disclosures already in place and the basic disclosures to be introduced in due course.
	I expect the independent team to report to me with their conclusions and recommendations by the end of the year. It is likely, however, to require a period of months before any system changes necessary to deliver the required step change in the CRB's output can be fully implemented. In the meantime it is expected that there will be a gradual improvement in performance through the ongoing service improvement plan.
	In the interim, we need to take steps to ensure that the demand for disclosures is in line with the CRB's current ability to process the applications. I have therefore agreed with my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Health, and for Education and Skills a number of measures to defer the existing or proposed requirement on certain occupations or office holders to obtain a CRB disclosure.
	Persons caring for children and vulnerable adults will, as now, continue to be subject to rigorous pre-employment checks, including confirming previous employment history and taking up references, to ensure their suitability for the position in question. All those occupations which were subject to a criminal record check prior to the advent of the CRB will continue to be subject to such a check.
	The details of the measures are set out as follows:
	Care Homes
	The care homes regulations (relating to care homes for adults) currently require CRB checks for existing staff—that is, those employed to work in a care home immediately before 1 April 2002—to be completed by 31 March 2003. The Government will be amending the regulations to extend this time limit. Existing care home staff will now be required to obtain a CRB check during the course of 2004. New care homes staff will continue to be required to have CRB checks, as will registered providers and managers of care homes.
	Nurses agencies and domiciliary care agencies
	Nurses supplied by nurses agencies, and staff supplied by domiciliary care agencies, will not be required to have CRB checks for the time being. The Department of Health will still be going ahead with the introduction of the nurses agency and domiciliary care agency regulations to come into effect in February 2003, but without the requirement for CRB checks. Staff will be required to provide a statement that they have no criminal convictions, or to provide a statement of any criminal convictions that they do have.
	The CRB check requirements will however, apply to registered providers and managers of nurses agencies and domiciliary care agencies.
	Some nurses agencies are already having to comply with requirements for CRB checks, which stem from the care homes regulations and the private and voluntary health care regulations which are already in place. These require checks to be made before temporary staff can be placed in those settings. These requirements have been in place since April 2002, and are not being removed.
	Other Department of Health regulations
	There will be no change to other regulations under the Care Standards Act 2000. Furthermore, none of these measures affect the requirements of those working with children to have a Protection of Children Act list check and the checks required by the Children's Homes Regulations and the Fostering Services Regulations.
	It is planned that regulations on residential family centres and adoption agencies will come into effect, with CRB check requirements, in February and April 2003 respectively.
	In addition, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has agreed to postpone the implementation of the Protection of Vulnerable Adults list provided for the Care Standards Act.
	All these arrangements are designed to avoid having regulations in place which cannot be complied with by providers. The Government recognises the importance of criminal records checks but at the same time providers must not be prevented from operating. Care homes have to be able to continue to employ existing staff, and we believe that domiciliary care agencies and nurses agencies should not be prevented from being able to place staff because they have not obtained checks.
	The regulations and national minimum standards, even with the CRB check requirements, will still be a significant factor in driving up standards and protecting service users. Among other things, they will cover the way the organisation is run, recruitment procedures, staffing arrangements, user feedback, information for service users, all of which are part of a system to protect vulnerable people.
	School Governors
	School governors will not be required to have CRB checks for the time being. The Department for Education and Skills will still be going ahead with the introduction of the School Governance (Constitution) regulations to come into effect in April 2003, but without the requirement for CRB checks.
	The Government remains committed to introducing CRB checks in these areas at the earliest possible opportunity.
	The Home Office, in conjunction with the Department of Health for Education and Skills, will be issuing detailed guidance to Registered Bodies about the implications of the above measures. The three Departments will continue to work with their partners and the CRB as the situation develops.

EU Border Policing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the timetable through which (a) his press office, (b) his staff and (c) he were informed of proposals in the European Commission for the establishment of common EU border policing.

Beverley Hughes: The communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament towards integrated management of the external borders of the member states of the European Union was released to member states on 7 May 2002 and deposited for parliamentary scrutiny on 17 May 2002.
	The Communication was received by the Home Office and forwarded to the relevant directorates. Press office would not normally receive this as a matter of course.
	An explanatory memorandum on the communication was forwarded to my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 14 June 2002.

Funded Projects (Kingston upon Hull)

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the projects to which his Department has allocated funding in the Kingston-upon-Hull North constituency since 1997, indicating the amount in each case.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 28 October 2002
	The table outlines projects that have been funded in the Kingston-upon-Hull local authority area.
	
		# 
		
			 Project Amount per year Total 
		
		
			 Communities against drugs 2001–03 373,500/373,500 747,000 
			 Safer communities initiative 2002–03 152,828 152,828 
			 Small retailers in deprived areas 2001–03 40,450/81,030 121,480 
			 Partnership development fund 2000–03 10,000/121,000/110,500 241,500 
			 Intervention work in schools 341,000 341,000 
			 City of Hull CCTV 5,000,000 5,000,000 
			 Reducing burglary initiative (Stoneferry/Bramsholme) 135,880 135,880 
			 Time limited development fund (North Hull Women's Centre) 2002–05 30,153/31,109/31,987 93,249 
			 'Splash' funding (Youth Offending Team: YOT) summer 2000 1,570 1,570 
			 Bail supervision and support services 1999–2002 58,056/58,056/58,056 174,170 
			 Restorative justice services 1999–2002 98,299/98,299/98,299 294,897 
			 Parenting 1999–2001 10,988/10,988 21,976 
			 YOT extra resources (used to develop its youth crime prevention strategy) 1999–2002 55,700/30,682/20,905 107,287 
			 Literacy/numeracy mentoring project 2001–03 17,500/34,930 52,430 
			 General YOT funding 2001–03 101,955/207,844 309,799 
			 Referral order funding for YOTs 2001–03 26,812/59,385 86,197 
			 Drugs funding of YOTs 2001–03 25,489/63,097 88,586 
			 Total spend  7,969,849

Funded Projects (North Wales)

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the projects to which his Department has allocated funding in the North Wales Police Authority area since May 1997.

John Denham: holding answer 30 October 2002
	The table outlines projects that have been funded in the North Wales Police Authority area. This encompasses the Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy, Denbighshire, Wrexham and Flintshire Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership areas.
	
		
			 Project Total (#) 
		
		
			 Communities Against Drugs 01/03 1,121,000 
			 Safer Communities Initiative 02/03 201,814 
			 Small Retailers in Deprived Areas 01/03 146,321 
			 Partnership Development Fund 00/03 512,390 
			 Youth Inclusion Project(Wrexham 225,000 
			 Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Projects 2,146,565 
			 Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire Reducing Burglary Project 33,300 
			 Violence Against Women Projects 160,500 
			 'Splash' Funding (Youth Offending Team: YOT) Summer 2000 and 2001 58,000 
			 Neighbourhood Wardens—Caernarfon 35,000 
			 Wrexham Industrial Estate—Targeted Policing Project 188,000 
			 Total Spend 4,827,890 
		
	
	In addition, mainstream funding of #406 million has been allocated to North Wales for policing since 1997.

Immigration Offences (Stranraer and Cairnryan)

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were detained on immigration offences during each of the last three years at Stranraer and Cairnryan ports.

Beverley Hughes: Persons detained at Stranraer and Cairnryan for immigration offences as follows:
	
		
			  Number detained 
		
		
			 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2000 31 
			 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001 153 
			 1 January 2002 to 31 October 2002 206 
		
	
	The figure for the current year 2002 is from local management information and may be subject to change.

Immigration Offences (Stranraer)

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of those persons detained on immigration offences at Stranraer port were (a) outbound to Northern Ireland and (b) inbound from Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.

Beverley Hughes: Persons detained at Stranraer:
	
		
			  Outbound to Northern Ireland Inbound from Northern Ireland 
		
		
			 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2000 31 0 
			 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001 135 18 
			 1 January 2002 to 31 October 2002 159 46 
		
	
	The figures for 2002 are from local management information and may be subject to change.

Immigration Service (Scotland)

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Immigration Service staff are based in Scotland; and how many of these are qualified to process asylum applications.

Beverley Hughes: On 31 October 2002, there were 112 immigration staff based in Scotland. The work of all staff includes some level of involvement in the asylum process.

Iraqi People (Support)

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Iraqis applied for hard case support in each of the past 12 months; and how many received it.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 31 October 2002
	The requested information is not available.

Leave to Remain

Clive Soley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to replace the application forms for foreign nationals wishing to apply for leave to remain in the United Kingdom.

Beverley Hughes: The current application forms are valid for use only until 14 November 2002. Revised forms will be prescribed before then. From the time they are issued until 14 November 2002, applications may be made on either the new forms or the present versions. Only the new forms may be used for applications made on or after 15 November 2002. Copies will be placed in the Library when they are available.

Mariana Carr

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the application by Mrs. Mariana Carr for British citizenship, ref C1059748, will be dealt with.

Beverley Hughes: Mrs. Carr's nationality application was approved on 19 September and an oath of allegiance was sent to Mrs. Carr's home address.
	Mrs. Carr's certificate of British Nationality was issued on 27 September 2002.

Marsham Street Redevelopment

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what timber has been purchased and used in the redevelopment of 2 Marsham Street, London; and who supplied the timber.

Beverley Hughes: As of 4 November 2002, no works have been undertaken on the construction of the Home Office's new building at 2 Marsham Street. No timber has been purchased at this time.

Marsham Street Redevelopment

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures have been put in place to ensure that the redevelopment of 2 Marsham Street, London, will be covered by Government requirements to ensure timber purchases are from legal and sustainable sources.

Beverley Hughes: Procurement and use of legal timber has been identified as a requirement of the contract signed by the Home Office and Anne Gates Property plc (AGP) in March 2002. Independently verified documentary evidence will be obtained relating to the source of timber.
	The contract requires timber to be certified by the supplier as purchased in accordance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES); to be from a supplier with an environmental timber purchasing policy; and requires AGP to consider acquiring reclaimed timber or products made from reclaimed timber where it is cost-effective and practicable to do so.
	AGP are minimizing the amount of hardwood used, both in terms of the use of alternative materials and through the use of veneers. AGP will also ensure, through their Quality Assurance systems, that rigorous checks are made to ensure that timber is procured from sources as contracted.

People Trafficking

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken by the Government to curb the number of women illegally trafficked against their will for use in vice rings.

Beverley Hughes: We set out a comprehensive approach to tackle trafficking and other forms of organised crime in the White Paper XSecure Borders, Safe Haven" published earlier this year. This approach encompasses new legislation to criminalise trafficking. The Nationality Immigration and Asylum (NIA) Bill currently before Parliament creates an offence of trafficking for the purpose of controlling someone through prostitution, with a tough maximum sentence of 14 years. This measure will tackle the worst forms of exploitation, pending the introduction of comprehensive legislation that will cover trafficking for the purposes of both labour and sexual exploitation.
	We are working to tackle the criminal networks involved in people trafficking through Reflex, the multi-agency response to organised immigration crime. Reflex has co-ordinated intelligence on the scale and has assisted with planning operations such as Horsley, which dismantled a group trafficking Thai women into the UK.
	We also recognise the importance of providing protection for the victims of trafficking in order to encourage them to co- operate with the authorities. We are developing support arrangements for victims in co-operation with the voluntary sector and plan to establish a pilot scheme next year. In conjunction with this we are developing a toolkit to raise awareness of the problem with police and immigration officers to help them to identify victims.
	Finally, we are working with our European Union partners and with source and transit countries to build effective international action. We have established a network of liaison officers to build intelligence on routes and methods used by the traffickers. We are also working with the International Organisation for Migration to develop a programme for the safe voluntary return of trafficking victims.

People Trafficking

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to tackle human trafficking into the United Kingdom.

Beverley Hughes: We set out a comprehensive approach to tackle trafficking and other forms of organised crime in the White Paper XSecure Borders, Safe Haven" published earlier this year. This approach encompasses new legislation to criminalise trafficking. The Nationality Immigration and Asylum (NIA) Bill currently before Parliament creates an offence of trafficking for the purpose of controlling someone through prostitution, with a tough maximum sentence of 14 years. This measure will tackle the worst forms of exploitation, pending the introduction of comprehensive legislation that will cover trafficking for the purposes of both labour and sexual exploitation.
	We are working to tackle the criminal networks involved in people trafficking through Reflex, the multi-agency response to organised immigration crime. Its remit is to co-ordinate operations against organised immigration crime and to develop the intelligence and strategic planning to underpin them.
	We also recognise the importance of providing protection for the victims of trafficking in order to encourage them to co- operate with the authorities. We are developing support arrangements for victims in co-operation with the voluntary sector and plan to establish a pilot scheme next year, in conjunction with this we are developing a toolkit to raise awareness of the problem with police and immigration officers to help them to treat victims compassionately.
	Finally, we are working with our European Union partners and with source and transit countries to build effective international action. We have established a network of liaison officers to build intelligence on routes and methods used by the traffickers. We are also working with the International Organisation for Migration to develop a programme for the safe voluntary return of trafficking victims.

Police Arrests (Chorley)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been arrested in the Chorley constituency in each of the last three years.

John Denham: Information on the number of arrests for notifiable offences is collected centrally at police force area level only. Available information shows that in 1999–2000 there were 37,535 arrests for notifiable offences within the Lancashire police force area and in 2000–01 (latest available) 36,998. Information for earlier years is not available on a consistent basis. Figures for 2001–02 will be available in due course.

Police Formula

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations his Department has made to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in respect of its preferred outcome for the police formula under the Formula Grant Distribution Consultation.

John Denham: holding answer 30 October 2002
	The Home Department has regular discussions with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on a number of issues including the Local Government Finance Formula Grant Distribution.

Police Numbers

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there are in (a) Lancashire, (b) the north-west of England and (c) Wales.

John Denham: The information requested is set out in the table.
	
		
			 Force/region Police strength as at March 2002 Civilian support staff as at 31 March 2002 
		
		
			 Lancashire 3,304 1,442 
			 North West 17,804 7,624 
			 Wales 7,194 3,109 
		
	
	Source:
	Home Office Statistical Bulletin—Police Service Strength 31 March 2002.
	Lancashire constabulary is at record levels of police officers.

Police Officers

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been employed by (a) Avon and Somerset constabulary and (b) West Somerset division in each of the 10 years for which figures are available.

John Denham: The information requested for Avon and Somerset constabulary is set out in the table. Data for individual divisions/basic command units is not collected centrally. By March 2002 Avon and Somerset constabulary had a record number of police officers.
	
		Avon and Somerset Constabulary
		
			 Year as at 31 March Police officer strength Civilian support staff 
		
		
			 1992 3,081 899 
			 1993 3,068 1,171 
			 1994 3,033 1,195 
			 1995 3,000 1,204 
			 1996 2,981 1,213 
			 1997 2,989 1,438 
			 1998 2,976 1,393 
			 1999 2,999 1,424 
			 2000 2,934 1,436 
			 2001 2,994 1,452 
			 2002 3,096 1,611 
		
	
	Source:
	Home Office Statistical Bulletins(Police Service Strength 1997—2002. Home Office historical data 1992–96.

Police Staff

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-operational staff are employed by the police in (a) Lancashire, (b) the North West of England and (c) Wales.

John Denham: Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) has provided the figures set out in the table for the 12 months ending 31 March 2002.
	HMIC figures count staff according to the following primary roles (a role that takes up more than half of a person's time):
	Operational: any member of staff, including covert staff, whose primary role is to directly deliver the overarching aims of the Police Service;
	Operational Support; any member of staff whose primary role is to support the delivery of the overarching aims of the Police Service; and
	Organisational Support: any member of staff whose primary role is to service the internal needs of the organisation.
	The table shows the total of Operational Support and Organisational Support staff.
	
		
			 Force/area Non-operational police officers Non-operational civilian support staff 
		
		
			 Lancashire Constabulary 233 903 
			 North West Region 1,413 6,276 
			 Wales 526 2,445

Police Training

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he gives to chief constables about the possibility of police forces being (a) prosecuted and (b) sued for the consequences of insufficient health and safety training of their officers involved in various policing situations.

John Denham: Home Office Circular 33/1997 advises Chief Officers on their duties under the Police (Health and Safety) Act 1997. Annex A refers to the legal liability of Chief Officers.

Policing (Rural Areas)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on policing in rural areas.

John Denham: Support for the police service in both rural and urban areas continues to be a key element of this Government's policy. We now have the highest levels of police officers since records began in 1921 (129,603).
	Last year we provided an extra #30 million through the Rural Policing Fund to tackle problems faced in the 31 more rural police areas. This is being paid again this year.
	The Police Authority and the Chief Officer may decide how to spend this additional money for the benefit of rural communities. It may be used to fund additional officers. Some police authorities have used the money to buy and operate mobile police stations to provide an enhanced police presence in remote areas.
	Police numbers in the rural areas have increased significantly. At 31 March 2002 there were 60,401 officers in the 31 more rural forces. This represents an increase of 2.6 per cent. over March 2001 and 4.9 per cent. over March 2000.
	Police forces can also employ Community Support Officers (CSO's) to provide additional support in rural communities. 19 of the 27 successful bids on the new CSO Fund were from the 31 more rural forces and they will receive between them #3.9 million this year. CSOs will provide a visible police presence and will have a vital role to play in support of the police in reducing the fear of crime, increasing public safety and tackling anti-social behaviour.

Prison Population (England)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the population of English prisons in each of the last five years for (a) men, (b) women and (c) juveniles.

Hilary Benn: The number of males and females held in prisons in England since 1998 is shown in the table. The number of juveniles in custody is also shown.
	The juvenile estate was established in April 2000, which is when the Youth Justice Board began collecting data on juveniles separately from the prison service. The juvenile figures for 2000 onwards therefore include those children held in private sector secure training centres and local authority secure children's homes in addition to the previously supplied prison service establishments. The juvenile figures for 1998 and 1999 are for those in prison service establishments only.
	
		
			 Year(12) Males(13) Females(13) Juveniles(14)  
		
		
			 1998 60,584 3,120 2,446 
			 1999 59,232 3,207 2,359 
			 2000 59,916 3,355 2,665 
			 2001 60,640 3,713 2,777 
			 2002 64,560 4,394 3,014 
		
	
	(12) All data represent 30 June.
	(13) Data for males and females include juveniles in prison service establishments.
	(14) Under 18 years of age.

Radioactivity Monitors at British Ports

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he will announce the (a) location and (b) the commencement date of the proposed pilot to install radioactivity monitors at British ports.

David Blunkett: holding answer 4 March 2002
	As a result of the terrorist in America in September last year, reviews have been undertaken of the security arrangements to counter the new threats that now exist to this country. This has resulted in a number of new measures, initiatives and trials. For obvious reasons I do not propose to give details of them. However, I can confirm that screening is part of this overall package.

Retail Crime

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to provide funding to local retail crime prevention initiatives in town shopping centres and secondary shopping areas.

John Denham: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Mr. Lepper) on 14 May 2002, Official Report, column 605W.

Retail Crime

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the correlation between retail crime and drug abuse;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the correlation between retail crime and street crime.

John Denham: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Mr. Lepper) on 19 September 2002, Official Report, column 19W.

Retail Crime

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of retail crime was to (a) business, (b) local authorities and (c) the police in each of the past three years; and what information he has on the amount spent by the retail sector on crime prevention measures in each of the last three years.

John Denham: The Home Office does not collect information about the cost of retail crime. The British Retail Consortium conducts an annual retail crime survey and the most recent, published in June 2002, estimated total retail crime losses in the United Kingdom at #2.4 billion in 2001, down from an estimated #2.5 billion in 2000. The survey of crimes affecting retailers and manufacturers announced by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 23 April 2002, the results of which should be available next spring, will provide information on the amount spent by the retail sector on crime prevention measures over the past year. The British Retail Consortium is assisting us with our survey.

Retail Crime

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much of the money allocated to his Department in this year's Budget will be used to tackle retail crime.

John Denham: It is not possible to provide an overall figure for the amount of money allocated to the Home Office in this year's budget, which will be used to tackle retail crime. Chief officers of police forces and individual crime and disorder reduction partnerships decide on the priorities for their local areas, and a proportion of their mainstream expenditure or their Home Office funding may be spent on tackling retail crime. Many of the measures taken to reduce particular crimes, such as juvenile crime, street crime and drug-related crime, and anti-social behaviour, are also likely to have a beneficial impact on reducing retail crime.

Retail Crime

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures his Department is taking to tackle retail crime.

John Denham: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) on 16 May 2002, Official Report, column 846W.

Retail Crime

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to make retail crime a best value indicator for police force performance.

John Denham: I refer my hon Friend to the answer I gave to the hon Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) on 24 July 2002, Official Report, column 1493W.

Special Constables

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many special constables there were in each police force in England and Wales on (a) 1st September 2002 and (b) 1 September of each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many special constables there are in (a) Lancashire, (b) the north-west of England and (c) Wales.

John Denham: Data on police officer numbers in England and Wales, including the Special Constabulary, is collected in March and September each year by the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate and published in the statistical bulletin XPolice Service Strength".
	The data on Special Constabulary strength for 30 September 1997 to 30 September 2001 is set out in the table. For 2002, the latest figure available is for 31 March 2002.
	The Special Constabulary has a vital role to play in reducing crime and providing reassurance to the public and we are committed to increasing the numbers of specials. We are working with stakeholders on a variety of measures, including good practice guidance to help forces improve the recruitment, management and deployment of specials.
	
		Table 1: Specials Numbers
		
			 Police force September March 
			  1977 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 629 584 482 416 391 364 
			 Bedfordshire 186 175 148 134 119 118 
			 Cambridgeshire 336 308 293 214 197 207 
			 Cheshire 491 416 358 307 233 191 
			 Cleveland 157 136 108 122 98 85 
			 Cumbria 184 210 193 167 125 102 
			 Derbyshire 414 355 303 286 263 260 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1,079 916 908 836 780 689 
			 Dorset 325 303 287 278 258 253 
			 Durham 178 159 169 155 146 134 
			 Essex 641 590 528 478 413 381 
			 Gloucestershire 287 245 221 197 153 154 
			 Greater Manchester 657 567 498 408 355 338 
			 Hampshire 681 747 720 500 444 444 
			 Hertfordshire 306 267 232 214 177 206 
			 Humberside 348 289 263 198 207 207 
			 Kent 588 565 484 416 366 327 
			 Lancashire 500 465 397 362 325 363 
			 Leicestershire 402 350 303 202 155 143 
			 Lincolnshire 273 233 218 179 160 155 
			 City of London 84 69 66 46 34 36 
			 Merseyside 407 463 467 452 507 468 
			 Metropolitan police 1,528 1,214 1,173 754 753 680 
			 Norfolk 346 351 317 270 240 244 
			 Northamptonshire 314 262 210 195 184 177 
			 Northumbria 480 352 356 323 276 256 
			 North Yorkshire 337 302 245 189 186 185 
			 Nottinghamshire 597 530 405 411 281 341 
			 South Yorkshire 295 266 236 193 189 206 
			 Staffordshire 643 558 460 461 395 384 
			 Suffolk 300 402 420 376 322 308 
			 Surrey 231 226 205 168 176 187 
			 Sussex 465 415 377 317 301 306 
			 Thames Valley 694 587 514 463 377 356 
			 Warwickshire 379 323 260 260 208 209 
			 West Mercia 558 499 512 443 364 339 
			 West Midlands 949 784 697 662 604 598 
			 West Yorkshire 604 590 572 452 371 349 
			 Wiltshire 150 176 182 172 160 147 
			 Dyfed Powys 241 237 237 193 174 157 
			 Gwent 149 114 110 131 148 142 
			 North Wales 388 336 262 233 203 125 
			 South Wales 362 360 331 254 250 277 
			 Total 19,163 17,296 15,727 13,487 12, 068 11,598 
		
	
	Source:
	Figures provided by Research Development Statistics Directorate

Speeding Offences (Police)

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many drivers of police cars were caught exceeding the speed limit by speed cameras in the last year when not attending to an emergency call;
	(2)  how many drivers of police cars that were caught exceeding the speed limit by speed cameras in the last year when not attending to an emergency call were prosecuted.

John Denham: This information is not collected centrally.

Street Crime (Lancashire)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the levels of street crime in Lancashire.

John Denham: Lancashire is one of the 10 areas involved in the Government's street crime initiative, which was announced on 17 March 2002.
	We published street crime figures on 14 October 2002 charting progress under the initiative to the end of September. There are two indicators of progress: a comparison with the period immediately before the initiative began, and a direct comparison with the same period last year.
	In Lancashire, there was a 20 per cent reduction in street crime offences (robbery and snatch theft) between April and September 2002. For robbery, the more serious offence, figures showed 15 per cent fewer offences in September compared to March, the month preceding the initiative.
	Year on year comparisons show an 11 per cent reduction in the number of robberies in Lancashire in the six months from April to September 2002, compared to the same period last year.
	Published figures for the first six months of the initiative, including a document detailing the achievements made through the initiative's partnership work, can be found in the Library or on the Crime Reduction website atwww.crimereduction.gov.uk/streetcrime.

Violent Crime and Robbery

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many incidents of violent crime there were in (a) Lancashire, (b) the north-west of England and (c) Wales in the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many incidents of robbery there were in (a) Lancashire, (b) the north-west of England and (c) Wales in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

John Denham: The requested details in respect of crimes recorded by the police in the year ending March 2002 have already been published in table 6.06 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin XCrime in England and Wales 2001–02", which was published in July this year, and is available in the Library. The table also gives rates for overall violent crime obtained from the British Crime Survey, which records people's actual experiences of crime.
	Recorded crime figures may have been affected in comparison to the previous year as a result of changes to police recording practices. Some of the forces in Wales and the North West, including Lancashire, implemented the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard in advance of its national introduction in April 2002. This early implementation by these and other police forces had the effect of uplifting the number of offences of violence against the person in England and Wales as a whole in 2001–02 by an estimated 13 per cent.

Work Permits

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits were issued to foreign nationals in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: The number of work permits issued to foreign nationals is as follows:
	2001–02—123,337
	2000–01—99,815
	1999–2000—63,853
	1998–99—57,089
	1997–98—47,009
	The figures above include all individual and group work permit applications which have been approved in each of the last five financial years.

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the re-opened facility at Yarl's Wood, Bedfordshire will be used from April 2003 for (a) the long-term detention of asylum seekers and (b) their removal after refusal of their applications; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 31 October 2002
	I can confirm the intention is for the remaining centre at Yarl's Wood to be ready to re-open in April 2003 with a population of single females, and later families, both asylum and non-asylum cases. In advance of this, work has already commenced to install sprinklers and the necessary facilities so that this population can be accommodated. As with all other removal centres, Yarl's Wood will be used to ensure we deliver our commitment to remove those without lawful right to be here. The intention is always to ensure that the period in detention is as short as possible. However, it is sometimes regrettably necessary to detain asylum seekers and other immigration related cases for longer periods of time.

Yarlswood Detention Centre

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what decision he has made in respect of the publication of the report which has been submitted to him by Stephen Moore, in respect of the circumstances of the fire at Yarlswood detention centre on 14 February; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 31 October 2002
	It has not been decided when the report will be published. Stephen Moore has consulted widely and taken representations from a number of interested parties. However, his terms of reference require him to take full account of inquiries being undertaken by Bedfordshire police and the Bedfordshire fire and rescue service, neither of which has yet concluded investigations. He is also required to conduct his inquiry in a way that would not impede any criminal investigation. Criminal trials arising out of the events at Yarl's Wood on 14 and 15 February are listed for April 2003. Consideration is therefore still being given as to when the report can be completed and published.

Criminal Justice System

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he will take in response to the finding of Home Office Research Study 45: Improving Public Attitudes to the Criminal Justice System, that overall knowledge of the criminal justice system among the general public was poor.

Hilary Benn: We recognise that public understanding of the criminal justice system is poor, and the Home Office will take this into account when considering future communication activity.
	My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has publicly acknowledged this fact, and has sought to encourage a wide-ranging public debate about the criminal justice system in the run up to and following publication of the Criminal Justice White Paper, XJustice for All". Work is under way to develop a plan and programme of work to improve public confidence in the criminal justice system.

HEALTH

EU Directives

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement regarding the EU's requirements with regards to sausage skins.

Hazel Blears: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that, in the knowledge of a theoretical risk of BSE in sheep, the Agency has recommended to the European Union (EU) Commission that sheep intestines, used to make some sausage casings, be added to the EU list of specified risk material (SRM) prohibited from the food chain. The EU scientific steering committee (SSC) considered at its September meeting the most recent data on BSE and sheep intestines. The SSC decided not to recommend, at this time, the addition of sheep intestines to the list of SRM. At the same time, differing scientific opinions on the effectiveness of processing sheep intestines, in removing potential infective material should BSE be present in a sheep, were acknowledged. The Agency has subsequently suggested to the Commission that experts be called together at EU level to achieve better common understanding. The Commission has agreed to this. In the meantime, there are no restrictions on the sale or use of such sausage casings pending any decision at the EU level.

EU Directives

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the impact on the NHS budget of the European food supplements directive and the proposed European directive on traditional herbal medicinal products; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The European Union food supplements directive is not expected to have any impact on the availability of vitamin and mineral supplements required by specific population groups, such as pregnant women. It is therefore not expected to have any impact on the national health service budget.
	Overall, it is not possible to quantify the likely impact of the proposed traditional herbal medicines directive on the NHS budget.
	The proposed directive on traditional herbal medicinal products should ensure the availability of a wide range of traditional herbal remedies made to assured standards of safety and quality, and accompanied by systematic and reliable information about the purpose of the product and its safe usage. Potentially the directive could help members of the public wishing to take greater responsibility for their own health to make an informed choice about which traditional herbal remedy may be helpful. It could also reduce the possibility of the public taking remedies that may be inappropriate to their health needs.

Food Labelling

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his position towards Directive 2002/67/EC (OJ L191, vol 45, 19 July 2002) on the labelling of foodstuffs containing (a) quinine and (b) caffeine; how many products on sale in the UK will be affected; and what cost assessment his Department has made of the cost of change in packaging.

Hazel Blears: These labelling changes will help consumers make informed choices about consumption of these products. Many manufacturers already indicate when caffeine or quinine has been added as an ingredient and most beverages containing high levels of caffeine already carry a warning to that effect. The new rules do not take full effect until 1 July 2004 and the legislation provides for products labelled before that date to continue to be sold while stocks last. This generous transitional period should allow any necessary changes to be incorporated as part of normal label redesign cycles and therefore ensure costs are kept to a minimum.

Cancer Care Action Group

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations his Department has received concerning the effectiveness of the Cancer Care Action Group in identifying and implementing improvements to the quality of care for patients;
	(2)  if he will list the members of the Cancer Care Action Group and the organisations that they represent.

Hazel Blears: The Cancer Care Action Group was established in 1998 after the Caring for Cancer conference, which brought together statutory and voluntary organisations involved in caring for those with cancer. Following the publication of the NHS Cancer Plan, the group was replaced by a supportive and palliative care strategy co-ordinating group.
	The Supportive and Palliative Care Strategy Group membership comprises representatives from the Department of Health, the national health service, the National Council for Hospices and specialist palliative care services, Macmillan Cancer Relief, CancerBACUP, National Cancer Alliance, Marie Curie Cancer Care and voluntary hospices.

Cancer Care Action Group

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health through what mechanisms staff of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health, deployed to patient forums, will be accountable to those forums and their local communities.

David Lammy: Staff will be provided by the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health to primary care trust patients' forums to support the members of patients' forums in their work. The work programme of the staff will be set by the patients' forum members. Therefore, while staff will be employed by the Commission on a day to day basis, they will be accountable to the patients' forum to which they are attached. It is for the Commission to decide exactly how this dual accountability will be managed and ensured.

Advisory Committee on Resources Allocations

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the Advisory Committee on Resources Allocations committee recommendations and options; if he will consult on the (a) options and recommendations and (b) weighting that will be given to any measures used to determine need; and what weighting he plans to give to (i) basic per capita allocations, (ii) deprivation, (iii) ethnicity, (iv) poor health indicators, (v) ACA, (vi) low birth weight, (vii) income, (viii) unemployment, (ix) premature death rates and (x) other measures.

John Hutton: We are currently considering the recommendations of the advisory committee on resource allocation (ACRA) for a new National Health Service funding formula. Later this autumn when we announce the revenue allocations for the next three years we will explain changes to the formula. The team who carried out the research into the new formula plan to publish a full report of their findings.
	ACRA is an expert body whose membership is made up of individuals with a wide range of relevant experience and expertise from within and outside the NHS. We do not consult on ACRA's recommendations.

Ambulance Personnel (Assaults)

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ambulance personnel by region have been (a) shot, (b) stabbed and (c) assaulted in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

David Lammy: holding answer 31 October 2002
	Information on the type of and levels of violent incidents by individual staff group is not collected centrally, but may be held at a local level by national health service employers. Data on violent incidents involving all staff in the NHS were not collected on a national basis prior to 1998.
	The results of the 2000–01 survey of reported violent or abusive incidents, accidents involving staff and sickness absence in NHS trusts and health authorities, in England, have been placed in the Library, along with a report setting out the Government's proposed action in light of the findings. The survey found that there were an estimated 13 reported violent or abusive incidents per 1,000 staff per month in ambulance trusts, compared to an estimated 10 such incidents for all NHS trusts.

Ambulance Services (Private Functions)

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent guidance he has issued to ambulance trusts on making crews and vehicles available for hire to cover private functions.

David Lammy: holding reply issued on Thursday 31 October
	National Health Service Trusts may provide ambulance services to events such as sporting fixtures if there is no detriment to NHS services and the full cost is recovered.

Arthritis

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many persons were suffering from arthritis in each of the last 10 years.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 28 October 2002
	The information requested is not collected centrally. However, Arthritis Care estimates that there are more than 200 types of arthritis and rheumatic disease, and more than 8 million people in the United Kingdom have long-term health problems due to arthritis or a related condition.

Bed Blocking

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds in (a) Greater London and (b) Essex were occupied by delayed discharge patients (i) at the latest available date and (ii) in each of the last four quarters.

David Lammy: Information on delayed discharges is collected centrally and is placed in the Library.
	Before 1 April 2002 data were collected at the old health authority level. Health authorities were disbanded on 1 April 2002 and replaced with primary care trusts.
	Health authority level data up to and including Q4 2001–02 (March 2002) are available.
	For Quarter 1 2002–03 (up until the end of June 2002) primary care trust level data are available.

Care Homes (Closure)

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the closure of care homes.

Jacqui Smith: Department figures show that between 1997 and 2001, the most recent figures available, the number of care homes in England reduced by only 640 or two per cent. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State announced, on 23 July, an extra #1 billion for social services by 2006. Some of this money can be used to boost capacity in the care home sector.

Child Prostitution

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children were identified as being involved in prostitution in each of the past five years.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not held centrally.

Child Protection

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the Government intends to ensure that the safeguarding of vulnerable children takes place at a primary care level and that GPs participate to an extent which does not impinge upon them carrying out other clinical duties.

Jacqui Smith: From April 2002, responsibility for securing the provision of the health contribution to child protection services began to be devolved to primary care trusts (PCTs). The particular roles and responsibilities of health professionals for child protection are set out in the Government's core inter-agency child protection guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children. Although this is a new role for PCTs, they are not expected to assume this responsibility without support. Child protection will form a key competency task within the national primary and care trust development programme currently being developed.
	The exercise of responsibility for child protection involves more than the specific clinical service; it necessitates PCTs exercising a public health responsibility for a whole population. It will require good partnership working with all stakeholders, in particular councils with social services responsibilities. Guidance on specific action required was issued to all chief executives of PCTs in January this year. This will be followed next year by supplementary child protection guidance for health professionals. In addition, the national primary and care trust development programme team are currently running child protection seminars for PCT directors with responsibility for children.

Child Protection

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he plans to take to ensure that area child protection committees receive sufficient funding to discharge their responsibilities.

Jacqui Smith: Area child protection committee (ACPC) expenditure and administrative and policy support is a matter for local agreement. As a multi-agency forum, the ACPC should be supported in its work by its main constituent agencies, reflecting the investment of each agency in activities which are of benefit to all, in particular inter-agency training.
	The Joint Chief Inspectors' report Safeguarding Children, published on 14 October 2002, contains a recommendation that the Department of Health should review the current arrangements for ACPCs to determine whether they should be established on a statutory basis to ensure adequate accountability, authority and funding. The Government has welcomed the publication of this report. The Government recognises that there is still more to be done to ensure that the highest standards of child protection are applied in every case. That is why it commissioned the Joint Chief Inspector's report. It is also why my right hon. Friends, the Secretary of State for Health and the Home Secretary set up the statutory inquiry, chaired by Lord Laming, into the circumstances leading up to, and surrounding, the death of Victoria Climbie. The Government looks forward to receiving Lord Laming's report later this year. It will respond in full to both reports after it has had the opportunity to consider them fully.

Child Protection

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many serious case reviews were carried out by each area child protection committee in each of the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: Complete statistical information is not held centrally on the numbers or types of serious case reviews that have been carried out in accordance with Chapter 8 of XWorking Together to Safeguard Children (1999)".
	However, many findings from serious case reviews can serve as an important source of information to inform policy and practice at both national and local levels. In recognition of this, the Department is responsible for identifying and disseminating common themes and trends across review reports, and acting on lessons for policy and practice. We recently published an overview report, XLearning from Past Experience—A Review of Serious Case Reviews", drawing out the key findings of a selection of case reviews from the last two years, and their implications for policy and practice. At the same time, we have recently launched a new comprehensive database, which will in future hold information about all serious case reviews.

Child Protection

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of accident and emergency departments do not have access to child protection registers.

David Lammy: All accident and emergency departments have access to information contained in child protection registers held by local authority social services departments, subject to the normal safeguards. Access out of office hours is through out of office arrangements with local authority social services departments.

Child Protection

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  for what reason the Child Protection Register contains those children who are on social services department client index as a consequence of being regarded as at risk;
	(2)  what the main criteria is for placing a vulnerable child who has been a client of a social services department on a child protection register.

Jacqui Smith: As XWorking Together to Safeguard Children", the Government's child protection guidance, makes clear, the sole criteria for consideration by an initial child protection conference, when determining whether to register a child's name on the child protection register, is whether a child is at risk of significant harm.
	The test should be that either: the child can be shown to have suffered ill-treatment or impairment of health or development as a result of physical, emotional or sexual abuse or neglect and professional judgement is that further ill-treatment or impairment are likely; or professional judgement, substantiated by the findings of enquiries in this individual case or by research evidence, is that the child is likely to suffer ill-treatment or the impairment of health or development as a result of physical, emotional or sexual abuse or neglect.
	The decision whether or not to register a child's name on the child protection register should not be taken on the grounds that the child is already known to social services.

Child Protection

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the role of child and adolescent mental health services is with regard to safeguarding vulnerable children.

Jacqui Smith: Guidance on this is given in XWorking Together to Safeguard Children: A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children", published by the Department of Health, the Home Office and the then Department for Education and Employment in 1999. A copy is in the Library. Paragraphs 3.39–3.41 of the guide relate to all mental health services and 3.42–3.44 to child and adolescent mental health services. The latter includes the role of relevant professional staff in cases where abuse and/or neglect is identified or suspected and the provision, where appropriate, of a range of assessment and treatment services for children with mental health disorders and their families.

Child Protection

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to establish area child protection committees on a statutory basis.

Jacqui Smith: The Joint Chief Inspectors' report XSafeguarding Children", published on 14 October 2002, contains a recommendation that the Department should review the current arrangements for area child protection committees to determine whether they should be established on a statutory basis to ensure adequate accountability, authority and funding.
	The Government have welcomed the publication of this report. The Government recognise that there is still more to be done to ensure that the highest standards of child protection are applied in every case. That is why it commissioned the Joint Chief Inspectors' report. It is also why my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Health and the Home Secretary set up the statutory inquiry, chaired by Lord Laming, into the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the death of Victoria Climbie. The Government looks forward to receiving Lord Laming's report later this year. It will respond in full to both reports after it has had the opportunity to consider them fully.

Child Protection

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health to what use child protection registers are put; and how he expects this to change in the next three years.

Jacqui Smith: A central child protection register should be maintained in each area covered by a social services department. The register should list all the children resident in the area (including those who have been placed there by another local authority or agency) who are considered to be at continuing risk of significant harm, and for whom there is a child protection plan. The principal purpose of the register is to make agencies and professionals aware of those children who are judged to be at continuing risk of significant harm and in need of active safeguarding.
	The Joint Chief Inspectors' report XSafeguarding Children", published on 14 October 2002, contains a recommendation that the Department should review the purpose of child protection registers and issue guidance to local authorities.
	The Government have welcomed the publication of this report. The Government recognise that there is still more to be done to ensure that the highest standards of child protection are applied in every case. That is why it commissioned the Joint Chief Inspectors' report. It is also why my right hon. Friends, the Secretary of State for Health and the Home Secretary set up the statutory inquiry, chaired by Lord Laming, into the circumstances leading up to, and surrounding, the death of Victoria Climbie. The Government look forward to receiving Lord Laming's report later this year. It will respond in full to both reports after it has had the opportunity to consider them fully.

Child Protection

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many area child protection committees do not have representatives from youth offending teams; and if he will set a deadline for all area child protection committees to include representatives from youth offending teams.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not held centrally.
	The Joint Chief Inspectors' report, XSafeguarding Children", published on 14 October 2002, contains a recommendation that the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Home Office and the Department of Health should issue immediate guidance to ensure that local youth offending teams and the Crown Prosecution Service are invited to become full members of all area child protection committees.

Child Protection

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children in each of the last five years have left local authority care and within five years (a) committed suicide and (b) attempted suicide.

Jacqui Smith: The Department does not collect statistical information on committed or attempted suicide for children and young people that have left local authority care.

Delayed Discharges

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Government will publish their response to the Health Committee's Third Report of Session 2001–02 on Delayed Discharges.

Jacqui Smith: The Government's response to the Health Select Committee's Third Report of Session 2001–02 on Delayed Discharges has been published today. Copies have been placed in the Library.

Free Fruit (Schools)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has to introduce free fruit in primary schools; and what estimate he has made of how much such provision would cost.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 29 October 2002
	The national school fruit scheme will entitle every child aged four to six to a free piece of fruit each school day from 2004. The scheme is currently being expanded to all eligible schools through large scale pilots on a region by region basis with funding of #42 million from the new opportunities fund.
	The expansion began with the West Midlands and is continuing in London this school term. By the end of this year free fruit will be available to up to 600,000 children in around 4,000 schools. The next regions to benefit will be North West and East Midlands.
	We will be closely monitoring and reviewing the experience from the pilots in order to make an accurate assessment of the annual cost of provision on a national scale.

Health Statistics

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths there were from complications arising from fractured bones in each of the last five years.

Ruth Kelly: The answer requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Dr. Lynne Jones, of 4 November 2002
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question asking how many deaths there were from complications arising from fractured bones in each of the last five years. (78571)
	It is not possible from routinely coded mortality data to obtain figures on complications arising from fractured bones. For deaths where an accident or violence initiated the train of events leading directly to death, a code is assigned to the type of injury sustained by the deceased. The figures below indicate the numbers of deaths where that injury was a fracture.
	
		Number of deaths from fractures(15), England and Wales, 1997 to 2001
		
			  Number of deaths 
		
		
			 Calendar year(16) 
			 1997 3,650 
			 1998 3,536 
			 1999 3,613 
			 2000 3,921 
			 2001(17) 4,670 
		
	
	(15) The nature of injury was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes 800 to 829 for the years 1997 to 2000 and, for the year 2001, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes S02, 812, S22, S32, S42, S52, 862, 872, 882, 892, T02, T08, T10, T12, T14.2.
	(16) Figures are for deaths occurring in each calendar year
	(17) The introduction of ICD-10 for coding cause of death in 2001 means that data for fractures in this year are not comparable with data for earlier years. The introduction of ICD-10 has led to an apparent increase of 17% in the number of deaths coded to fractures. The figures should therefore be interpreted with caution. The effect of the change in classification in 2001 is described in a report published in May 2002.i
	i Office for National Statistics. Results of the ICD-10 bridge coding study, England and Wales, 1999. Health Statistics Quarterly 14 (2002), 75–83.

Hepatitis B (Prisons)

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of prisoners have been vaccinated against hepatitis B; and how many had been vaccinated in 2000.

Jacqui Smith: Information is not available in the form requested. Returns from prison service establishments indicate that the number of prisoners who completed a course of Hepatitis B vaccinations in 2000–01 was 3,912. The comparable figure for 2001–02 was 5,463.

Impersonation of Doctors

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been found guilty of impersonating a specialist in (a) obstetrics and (b) gynaecology in each of the last 10 years.

John Hutton: holding answer 24 October 2002
	The crime of pretending to be a registered medical practitioner is a police matter, and I am not aware of statistics for numbers charged or convicted. The Department has issued guidance on the registration and employment of doctors, stating that employers must ensure that any doctor who is offered employment is suitably registered before taking up their duties.

Infertility Treatment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to end postcode prescribing of infertility treatment.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 29 October 2002
	The National Institute for Clinical Excellence is developing clinical guidelines to cover the treatment of infertility which they expect to deliver in November 2003. The guidelines will make the latest knowledge and best practice available to all parts of the national health service. We expect the fertility guidelines to be implemented consistently across the NHS. Once issued, the uptake of this guidance will be monitored locally and by the Commission for Health Improvement.

Kava-kava

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to publish the conclusions of the Food Standards Agency's consultation to prohibit the herbal ingredient kava-kava in food products.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 29 October 2002
	The Food Standards Agency will advise on action to be taken in relation to foods containing kava-kava when it has considered responses to the public consultation which closed on Friday 27 September.

Leicestershire Health Trust

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many administrators there are as a ratio of the number of clinical staff in the Leicestershire Health Trust.

David Lammy: The ratio of the number of administration staff to clinical staff at the University Hospitals of Leicester National Health Service Trust is shown in the table.
	
		NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): Medical and dental and non-medical staff by specified group within the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust as at 30 September 2001
		
			  whole-time equivalents headcount 
		
		
			 All staff 8,340 10,120 
			
			 Admnistration(18) 1,680 1,990 
			
			 Clinical staff(19) 6,200 7,520 
			 of which   
			 Medical and dental staff 1,050.00 1,170 
			 Clinical (Non-medical) 5,150 6,350 
			
			 Others(20) 460 600 
			
			 Ratio of administrators to clinical staff(21) 1 to 3.7 1 to 3.8 
		
	
	Notes:
	(18) Administration staff includes senior managers, managers, clerical & administrative.
	(19) Clinical staff includes medical and dental staff, nursing staff (including learners), allied health professionals, healthcare assistants, and scientific, therapeutic & technical staff.
	(20) Others includes maintenance & works, support and other staff.
	(21) Based on un-rounded figures.
	Sources:
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census.
	Department of Health non-medical workforce census.

Leicestershire Health Trust

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the current salary is of the Chief Executive of the Leicestershire Health Trust.

David Lammy: The salary of the Chief Executive of the university hospitals of Leicester National Health Service Trust was published in the Trust's annual report and accounts for 2001–02 as being between #140,000 and #145,000.

Meals on Wheels

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were in receipt of meals-on-wheels in each of the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: In 2000–01 an estimated 212,000 clients received meals as part of community-based services provided or commissioned by councils with social service responsibilities (CSSR) based on the referrals, assessments and packages of care (RAP) return. Comparable data prior to 2000–01 are not readily available.

Mid Essex Hospital Trust

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects in-patient waiting lists in the Mid Essex Hospital Trust area to fall below the level that they were at on 31 March 1997.

David Lammy: holding answer 31 October 2002
	Mid Essex Hospitals National Health Service Trust achieved the 2001–02 plan ensuring that no patients were waiting more than 15 months for elective treatment. The trust also exceeded its elective activity while successfully managing an increase in emergency activity.
	Currently Mid Essex Hospitals Trust is following government guidelines with robust delivery plans in place to reduce the waiting times for patients on the waiting list to a maximum of 12 months by March 2003.

Mixed Sex Wards

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are in mixed sex wards, broken down by trust.

John Hutton: The Department does not collect information on the number of national health service patients treated in mixed sex wards as opposed to single sex wards. NHS trusts are required only to report on total patient throughput per annum.

NHS (European Doctors)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 21 October 2002, Official Report, column 128W, if he will list the contracts signed by NHS trusts to bring teams of doctors from continental Europe to work in the NHS.

John Hutton: Six contracts to bring over overseas clinical teams have been signed by national health service trusts: two each by Central Middlesex and East Somerset NHS Trust, and one each by South Tyneside Healthcare Acute Trust, and Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust. A short-term contract was also signed at Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust.

NHS Direct

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average time it took to get through to NHS Direct was over (a) the last month for which figures are available and (b) the previous six months.

David Lammy: The average time it took to get through to NHS Direct in September 2002 was 55.73 seconds. The figures for the previous six months are shown in the table.
	
		
			 Month Seconds 
		
		
			 March 2002 74.79 
			 April 2002 61.42 
			 May 2002 59.45 
			 June 2002 69.37 
			 July 2002 69.43 
			 August 2002 66.87

NHS Direct

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the number of nurses working on NHS Direct at each grade.

David Lammy: At present, the number of nurses working on NHS Direct at each grade is not collected centrally. The nurse grade structure for NHS Direct mainly consists of F and G grade nurses offering medical advice. NHS Direct accounts nationally for around 1,100 (whole time equivalent) nurses, a small number against the overall size of the nursing workforce 346,000 -whole time equivalent—in England. The service had and will continue to follow a range of strategies to minimise the impact of its recruitment on other parts of the National Health Service.

NHS Trusts (Private Operation Bills)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients have billed NHS trusts for operations carried out in the private sector; and how many of these were paid and at what cost.

John Hutton: holding answer 29 October 2002
	National health service trusts do not have the power to reimburse patients for operations they choose to have carried out in the private sector. Occasionally circumstances arise in which NHS trusts decide that it is appropriate, on a case by case basis, to make an ex-gratia payment in connection with such treatment. The Department does not hold information on the number of such payments, nor their costs.

NHS Vacancies (Mid-Essex)

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many (a) nurse, (b) doctor and (c) consultant vacancies there were at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford at the latest available date;
	(2)  how many (a) nurse, (b) doctor and (c) consultant vacancies there were in the Mid-Essex Hospital Trust at the latest available date.

John Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table. Vacancy information is not collected for specific hospitals, therefore vacancy information is shown for Mid Essex Hospital Trust.
	
		Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 2002(Vacancies in Mid Essex Hospital Services Trust, doctors, nurses and consultants
		
			   Staff in post  
			  Three month vacancy rate % Number of three month vacancies Whole time equivalent Head- count 
		
		
			 All medical and dental staff 3.1 0 110 160 
			 All consultants 3.4 0 90 100 
			 All other doctors and dentists 2.4 0 20 70 
			 All nurses 1.6 20 1,290 1,720 
			 All qualified nurses 2.2 20 880 1,170 
		
	
	Key notes:
	1. Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March 2002.
	2. Three month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents).
	3. Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post.
	4. Three month vacancy rates are calculated using staff in post from the Vacancy Survey and the Consultant Census, March 2002.
	5. Staff in post data are from the Non-Medical Workforce Census, September 2001 and the Mini Consultant Census, March 2002.
	6. Medical and dental figures exclude staff in training.
	7. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
	8. Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Other notes:
	9. Due to rounding, calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates.
	10. Figures may not match previously published data due to a different method of rounding used on the staff in post data.
	Sources:
	Vacancy Numbers and Rates: Department of Health Vacancies Survey March 2002 and Consultant census March 2002.
	Non Medical Staff in Post: Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce census September 2001.
	Medical and Dental Staff in Post: Department of Health Consultant census March 2002.

Nutrition

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the annual cost of under-nutrition to the NHS.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 22 October 2002
	The number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) of in-patient care in national health service hospitals in England in 2000–01 for malnutrition was 321. This figure does not represent the number of patients as a person may have more than one FCE in the year. This is the final figure.
	This information is extracted from hospital episode statistics (HES) system which contains details of patients admitted to and treated in NHS hospitals in England. HES does not hold data on cost of treatment for malnutrition.

Occupational Therapy

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the underlying reasons are behind the change in the number of occupational therapy first episodes of care from 2001–02 to 2000–01.

John Hutton: Table 2 of XOccupational Therapy Services, Summary Information for 2001–02", England, a copy of which is in the Library, indicates that referrals from some sources to national health service occupational therapy services fell while others rose. Information is not collected centrally on the reasons for these changes.

Older People (Care)

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his oral statement on 23 July on older people's services, how many extra care home places will result from the plans he announced in each of the next three years.

Jacqui Smith: In the recently published national health service and social care planning guidance, XImprovement, Expansion and Reform: The next 3 years", the Government indicated a capacity assumption of an increase of 6,000 in the number of people in care homes supported by councils over the three years to 2006. We expect the majority of the places to be provided from April 2004 onwards.

Older People (Care)

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his oral statement on 23 July concerning services for older people, for what reasons he estimates there was a reduction in the number of households receiving home care over the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: Home care is only part of the care and support provided through non-residential social services. This includes home helps and home care, community equipment and housing adaptations, occupational therapy, day care, and direct payments. We are committed to improving the provision of non-intensive care and support as part of better preventive services.

Organ Retention

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many organs are retained at Leicestershire hospitals from deceased persons.

David Lammy: There are currently 153 organs retained by the three hospitals covered by the University Hospitals of Leicester National Health Service Trust. Their retention complies with the Department's rules on the removal, retention and use of human organs. We have recently consulted on revised procedures and protocols for the taking, storage and use of human organs and tissue, and a code of practice on the import and export of body parts. That exercise will lead to a new Bill on human tissue in due course.

Parliamentary Questions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 16 October 2002, Official Report, column 870W, on parliamentary questions, how many statistical tables requested by hon. Members in parliamentary questions have been placed in the Library and not been published in the Official Report this session.

David Lammy: holding answer 31 October 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 16 October 2002, Official Report, column 870W.

Patient Forums

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health will be able to provide legal advice to patient forums; and whether it will be specifically funded to do so.

David Lammy: The Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health will be able to provide legal advice to patients' forums. This is within the commission's function of providing advice and assistance to patients' forums.
	It will be for the commission to determine how it spends the money allocated to it—this will be set out in the annual business plan that it produces.

Patient Forums

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to provide local premises for patient forums in England; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: It is the responsibility of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health to decide where patients' forums in England, and the staff supporting them, should best be located to enable them to discharge their functions. To assist the commission in doing so, a change assessment group is being set up for each strategic health authority (StHA) area. It will comprise stakeholders such as the national health service, community health councils, local Government and local voluntary organisations; and will consider issues such as:
	Mapping of how the NHS is arranged within the StHA area
	Demography
	Relationship between the NHS and local Government
	Recruitment
	ICAS provision
	Accommodation.
	All the information above will help to inform the commission where the most appropriate accommodation will need to be located—in terms of the NHS, the nature of populations, and in relation to other relevant services. It will also enable the commission to form a clear picture of the nature, type and volume of work that will need to be undertaken by the patients' forums for that area and by the staff supporting them.

Patient Forums

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of staff required to be employed in patient forums to replace community health councils; what his estimate is of the annual cost of running patient forums in England; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The final outcome of the current spending review is not yet known. It is therefore not possible to discuss detailed funding arrangements for patients' forums and the Commission for 2003–04.
	The Commission's chair designate and her interim team, along with the Department, are still considering potential structures for the organisation of and staffing levels for patients' forums. The level of funding available for the Commission and patients' forums will be a key determinant of this, so, as yet, staffing levels have not been finalised.
	It should also be noted that staff working in patient advice and liaison services, staff in local authorities supporting overview and scrutiny committees and other staff that will be commissioned by patients' forums to provide independent complaints advocacy support will also undertake some of the functions currently carried out by community health councils.

Patient Forums (Staffing)

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff that are currently employed by English CHCs are likely not to be employed by the new Patient Forums; and what redundancy schemes have been put in place for those staff.

David Lammy: Recruitment of staff for patients' forums will be through open competition and will be organised by the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health. It is therefore not possible, nor would it be appropriate, to predict who will secure positions and who will not.
	The Department is working with the trade unions on the arrangements for Community Health Council (CHC) staff in the run up to the abolition of CHCs.

Patient Prospectus

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which PCTs will have distributed copies of the patient prospectus by the end of October; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: holding reply issued on Thursday 31 October
	We do not have information as to which primary care trusts (PCTs) will have distributed copies of the patient prospectus by the end of October. We expect PCTs to have made the necessary arrangements to ensure delivery of the patient prospectus by the end of November. The Department produced guidance on compilation of the prospectus, and this has been available since July. It has also set up a 'Helpline' function, which has since August, been available to provide PCTs with advice about different methods of prospectus delivery. The Department in conjunction with the strategic health authorities, is continuing to oversee progress with general distribution.

Patient Prospectus Initiative

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Department has to evaluate the patient prospectus initiative.

David Lammy: holding reply issued on Thursday 31 October
	The Department plans to evaluate the patient prospectus initiative by arranging;
	a series of events at which it engages with a cross-section of patients and residents who are in receipt of the prospectus leaflet
	meetings with representatives of primary care trusts who have participated in compiling the documents locally.
	The above exercises are scheduled for completion by early in the new year. By taking part in these interface meetings, the Department is seeking to find out how the prospectus was received locally, and to gain feedback upon its utility. It will also use the information to inform plans for next year's prospectus and to consider potential improvements, for example to content, or in the provision of guidance material.

Patient Prospectus Initiative

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by each PCT on the patient prospectus initiative.

David Lammy: holding reply issued on Thursday 31 October
	The Department does not hold information about primary care trusts' (PCTs) expenditure on the patient prospectus. It is for each PCT to make the appropriate arrangements to facilitate delivery of the prospectus.

Patients Forum (Staffing)

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff were employed in English CHCs in each of the last three years; and what the projected number is of staff to be employed by the Patients Forum when they commence.

David Lammy: Community Health Council (CHC) staff in England are employed by seven strategic health authorities and are National Health Service employees. The figures requested are therefore not held centrally. There are currently approximately 700 staff in the 184 CHCs in England.
	The chair designate of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health CPPIH) and her interim team, along with the Department, are still considering potential structures for the organisation of and staffing levels for patients' forums.

Pharmaceutical Industry

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects of parallel trading in the British pharmaceutical industry; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: Parallel imports are estimated to represent 15 per cent. overall of sales of medicines to the national health service, although the proportion of sales represented by parallel imports differs widely between different products. Conclusive information on the economic effect of this trade on the British pharmaceutical industry is not available, given the uncertainty surrounding such factors as the profits made on sales to the country which is the source of the imports and other discounts offered by manufacturers in the United Kingdom.

Residential and Nursing Care

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average length of time was that an individual stayed in (a) residential care and (b) nursing care in England in the last 12 months.

Jacqui Smith: The personal social services research unit, in research commissioned by the Department, estimated that the average complete length of stay of older publicly funded residents of residential and nursing homes is around 30 months. These data can not be broken down into types of home. This survey was carried out in the winter of 1995–96.

Residential and Nursing Care

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates his Department has made of the number of people who have had to sell their homes to pay for long-term care (a) over the last 12 months and (b) in each of the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: This information is not collected centrally. Through the introduction of the 12 weeks property disregard in April 2001 and the deferred payments scheme in October 2001, people have options to help them avoid having to sell their homes on admission to residential care.

Residential and Nursing Care

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residential nursing home beds were available in each social service area in England (a) at the latest available date, (b) in October 2001 and (c) in October 1997.

Jacqui Smith: Information on the number of registered nursing home beds is collated as at 31 March each year.
	Data by health authority at 31 March 2001 have been placed in the Library. These data for 2001 were published in a Statistical Bulletin—'Community Care Statistics 2001—Residential Personal Social Services for Adults, England'. This publication is available on the Department's website at http://www.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0129.htm.
	Data by health authority at 31 March 1997 have been placed in the Library.
	Data for 2002 are not yet available.

Single Mumps Vaccine

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the availability of the single dose mumps vaccine in the UK;
	(2)  whether the decision to remove the licence from the single mumps vaccine was taken at a ministerial level; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Single mumps vaccine is licensed in the United Kingdom, Mumpsvax, Aventis Pasteur MSD, but the marketing authorisation holder does not manufacture this vaccine for the UK market. The Medicines Control Agency (MCA) has taken no regulatory action against the marketing authorisation for this vaccine and the production and marketing of the vaccine is a matter for the company holding the marketing authorisation.
	Importation of unlicensed single mumps vaccine is permitted in accordance with medicines legislation when it is supplied in response to a doctor's prescription, issued on his personal responsibility, to meet the special needs of an individual patient. The MCA will, however, object to importation of an unlicensed mumps vaccine if it has concerns over the safety or quality of the vaccine.
	The Government recommend that children are vaccinated with the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, as the safest way for parents to protect their children against these potentially very serious diseases, and has never recommended single mumps vaccine to be given routinely in the UK.

Suicide

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to tackle the problem of smoking in prisons.

Jacqui Smith: Individual prisons and their local national health service partners provide various services to help prisoners stop smoking. The range of services provided is determined locally. The Department is sponsoring pilots in five prisons to evaluate the effectiveness of smoking cessation services for prisoners and the best way of providing them.

TB

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what extra funding and resources he has allocated this year to local primary care trusts which have reported high rates of TB.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 29 October 2002
	An extra #400,000 will be made available this year to target primary care trusts with higher than average tuberculosis levels.

TB

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice he has offered to local primary care trusts who have high rates of TB to help them combat this disease.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 29 October 2002
	Plans for a national strategic action plan for tuberculosis (TB) have been under discussion this year, and have moved forward more quickly under the auspices of the Chief Medical Officer's strategy XGetting ahead of the Curve" which identified TB as one of the key areas for public health improvement. We have held two national conferences with health care professionals, comments from which will help refine and finalise the TB action plan by the end of this year. This plan will form the framework to be tailored to meet local levels of TB.

Waiting Lists

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons patients awaiting diagnostic tests such as gastrointestinal endoscopy are excluded from national cancer waiting lists published by the NHS.

Hazel Blears: Information is not collected centrally on waiting times for diagnostic tests. Currently published cancer waiting times data include patients urgently referred by their general practitioner (GP) with suspected cancer to first outpatient appointment. This data shows whether a patient was seen in secondary care within two weeks but does not contain information on whether a patient was referred direct for a diagnostic test or for assessment by a specialist. Data are also published on the target of a maximum one-month wait from urgent referral to first treatment for testicular cancer, children's cancers and acute leukaemia. This data will include time for the diagnostic phase but does not contain data on waiting times for individual diagnostic tests. Data is also published on the maximum one-month wait from diagnosis to first treatment for breast cancer. This target measures the waiting time to treatment after the diagnosis has been made. By 2005 there will be a maximum two-month wait from urgent GP referral to first treatment for all cancers.

Written Consultations

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  in what format his Department has published the results of its 2001 written consultations;
	(2)  how long the Department allowed for consultation on each consultation document it published in 2001 in (a) electronic and (b) printed form;
	(3)  whether consultation documents published by his Department in 2001 carried the consultation criteria as recommended in the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultations;
	(4)  how many consultation documents published in 2001 in (a) electronic and (b) printed form his Department has monitored and evaluated in accordance with the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultations.

David Lammy: The Department issued 67 consultations in 2001, of which eight had periods given for response of less than 12 weeks. All consultation documents were available in printed form on request, and since March 2001, the results of all consultations have been available on the Department's website.
	The Department has since reviewed its arrangements and has circulated guidance to all managers, which has been drawn to the attention of all staff. In addition, all consultations will now automatically be posted on the Cabinet Office website at UK Online.
	The Department's consultation co-ordinator is Peter Allanson, Head of Corporate Development, Nursing Directorate.

Public Health Laboratory Service

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what arrangements will be made, and for how long, to ring fence public health laboratory budgets when the service is reorganised to the management of local hospital trusts;
	(2)  what transitional funding arrangements will be in place for the Public Health Laboratory Service during its reorganisation.

Hazel Blears: Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) laboratories transferring to the national health service will receive funding from the NHS and from the proposed Health Protection Agency for their diagnostic work. Traditionally, some of PHLS's core funding has supported the routine services provided to NHS trusts. In 2003–04, transferring PHLS laboratories will receive payments, to be known as Xresidual subsidy", to cover this support. For 2004–05 the subsidy will be passed to primary care trusts as part of general allocations, and contracts between NHS trusts will operate on a full cost recovery basis.

LORD CHANCELLOR

1901 Census Website

Ian Lucas: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the 1901 Census website.

Rosie Winterton: The 1901 Census website went back online as a test site on 27 August 2002. Up to 21 October over 1.4 million people have visited the site. They have conducted 14 million searches and downloaded 600,000 images of the census pages.

Firefighters' Strike

Nigel Evans: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what preparations she has made to ensure the safety and continuity of service to the public in the event of a firefighters' strike.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Local Government (Greenwich and Woolwich) on 28 October 2002, Official Report, column 527W.

Legal Aid

David Drew: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many applications for legal aid have been refused since the new rules were introduced.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 29 October 2002
	Following the implementation of the Access to Justice Act 2000, which led to the creation of the Community Legal Service on 1 April 2000, 61,921 applications for civil legal representation have been refused up to and including March 2002. However, some of these applications may have gone on to be granted following an appeal.
	It is not possible to provide figures for the number of refused applications for legal help as the decision to grant legal help rests with the Legal Services Commission's suppliers.

Recruitment

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much has been spent in recruiting staff to his Department in (a) London and (b) the south east in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The table provides the information requested, where it is available.
	
		
			  2001–02 2000–01 1999–2000 1998–99 1997–98 
		
		
			 Recruitment (admin costs)  
			 South Eastern 17,700 18,600 13,800 10,700 0 
			 CSHQ (London) 75,900 40,700 20,000 71,800 15,000 
			 LCD HQ (London) 195,402 325,767 217,442 148,530 113,473 
			 Total (22)289,002 385,067 251,242 231,030 128,473 
			 Recruitment (staff costs)  
			 South Eastern 373,151 (23)— 
			 CSHQ (London) (24)—  
			 LCD HQ (London) 24,683  
			 Total 397,834  
			 Public Guardianship Office (London)(25) 121,654 173,737 11,376   
		
	
	(22) 2001–02 on accruals basis.
	(23) Information not available.
	(24) Included in figures for South Eastern.
	(25) Admin and paybill costs combined.

Recruitment

Robert Key: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what progress she has made on reorganisation of magistrates' courts in Wiltshire; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 15 October 2002
	I am still considering the representations made to me by the Wiltshire county council and the Wiltshire Magistrates Committee at a meeting together with the hon. Member for Westbury.
	I will write to the hon. Member once I have made my decision on the appeal against the closure of the Courthouses at Trowbridge and Devizes.

TREASURY

Currency Transfers

Stephen O'Brien: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what research he has commissioned regarding the transfer of currency across national boundaries using electronic technology; and if he will publish the results of this research;
	(2)  what research his Department has commissioned into bank charges for the transfer of currency across national boundaries in the European economic area.

Ruth Kelly: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has not commissioned any research into bank charges for the transfer of currency across national boundaries in the European economic area or the transfer of currency across national boundaries using electronic technology.

Discretionary Trusts

Pete Wishart: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many discretionary trusts there are in the UK.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested is not available.

Economic Cycle

Michael Howard: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what assumption his Department has made regarding the end date of the current economic cycle; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: Budget 2002 (HC 592) included an assessment of cyclical developments, in particular on pages 26 and 190 to 193. This assessment will be updated in the forthcoming pre-Budget report.

Economic Growth

James Clappison: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to amend his growth forecasts in line with the recent forecast from the International Monetary Fund.

Ruth Kelly: The Government will publish an updated forecast for the UK economy in the forthcoming pre-Budget report.

Equitable Life

James Clappison: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 22nd October, Official Report, column 220W, on the Penrose inquiry, what criteria have been established in respect of decisions to withhold publication of Lord Penrose's report on legal and commercial grounds; and who will apply such criteria.

Ruth Kelly: It is our intention to make public as much as possible of the results of the inquiry. The presumption is that this will be the full report. However, much of the information being considered by the inquiry is subject to legal and commercial confidentiality restrictions, and such restrictions may also attach to information included in the report of the inquiry. It will not be possible to determine in advance of receiving the report from Lord Penrose whether any such restrictions prevent the report from being published in full.
	Treasury Ministers will decide, on the basis of legal advice, whether it is possible to publish the whole of Lord Penrose's report within the restrictions relating to legal or commercial confidentiality.

Euro

James Clappison: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what work is being undertaken by his Department in advance of a decision on whether to join the Eurozone; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The Government has said that it will complete an assessment of the five economic tests within two years of the start of this Parliament. The assessment has not yet started, but the necessary preliminary analysis technical work that is necessary to allow us to undertake the assessment within two years as promised is underway.
	As we set out in the XPaper for the Treasury Select Committee on the Treasury's approach to the preliminary and technical work", issued on 6 September, XA number of supporting studies will be published encompassing the preliminary and technical work . . . When the assessment is complete, the detailed supporting studies will be published alongside, all to be subject to intensive public scrutiny and debate." More detail on the supporting studies is given in the 6 September paper.

GDP Estimates

Alex Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  for what reason gross domestic product estimates for the countries and regions of the United Kingdom are two years behind United Kingdom gross domestic product estimates;
	(2)  when gross domestic product estimates will be made for each country and region of the United Kingdom for 2000;
	(3)  what the gross domestic product per capita was of each country and region of the United Kingdom in (a) the most recent year and (b) each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Ruth Kelly: The answer requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from L. Cook to Mr. Alex Salmond, dated 4 November 2002
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your three recent questions on
	(a) the timing of publication of gross domestic product estimates for the countries and regions of the United Kingdom;   (79325)
	(b) the date for the publication of estimates of gross domestic product for the countries and regions of the United Kingdom for the year 2000;   (79324)
	(c) what the gross domestic product per capita was of each country and region of the United Kingdom in (a) the most recent year and (b) each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.   (79323)
	(a) Currently the latest available estimates for the Gross Value Added (GVA*) for the countries and regions of the United Kingdom are for 1999. This publication lag is longer than usual and has been caused by the ONS completing an exceptionally demanding work programme to include a number of new and revised data sources. This additional work led to a deferral of the publication of estimates of GVA from their planned release date in May 2002 and the reasons for this deferral were covered in a ONS News Release of 21 May 2002.
	More usually, estimates of GVA below UK level are published some three to four months after the UK-level estimates are released. One of the main reasons for this delay is to ensure that the sub-UK estimates are consistent with (i.e. add up to) those published in the United Kingdom National Accounts. We plan to meet that goal this year by publishing estimates for the period up to 2001 before the end of 2002.
	(b) The ONS announced in the August edition of Updates that Regional Gross Value Added is to be published for the years 2000 and 2001 on 17 December 2002.
	(c) The estimates of GVA per head for the countries and regions of the United Kingdom for the period 1989 to 1999, consistent with the National Accounts data published in 2000 are shown in table A.
	*While the estimates have been historically referred to as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), under the new European System of Accounts 1995 (ESA95) they are more correctly referred to as Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices. From 2002 onwards, the term GVA is being used.
	
		
			  Table A: Gross Value Added: # person  
			  North East North West (GOR) and Merseyside Yorkshire and the Humber East Midlands West Midlands East London 
		
		
			 1989 6,614 7,199 7,042 7,621 7,242 9,012 10,135 
			 1990 7,033 7,757 7,630 8,149 7,875 9,711 10,935 
			 1991 7,433 8,096 8,002 8,464 8,108 9,913 11,422 
			 1992 7,811 8,380 8,195 8,722 8,450 10,415 11,930 
			 1993 8,216 8,783 8,563 9,102 8,855 10,772 12,494 
			 1994 8,441 9,248 8,901 9,519 9,352 11,467 13,088 
			 1995 8,796 9,547 9,354 9,944 9,869 11,889 13,406 
			 1996 9,111 9,980 9,927 10,673 10,309 12,582 14,107 
			 1997(26) 9,301 10,494 10,541 11,371 10,845 13,657 15,266 
			 1998(26) 9,741 10,909 10,983 11,848 11,455 14,530 16,532 
			 1999(26) 10,024 11,273 11,404 12,146 11,900 15,094 16,859 
		
	
	
		
			  United Kingdom  
			  South East South West Wales Scotland Northern Ireland Excluding Extra Regio Including Extra-Regio and stat. Discrepancy 
		
		
			 1989 8,805 7,297 6,624 7,544 5,893 7,888 8,053 
			 1990 9,586 7,917 7,080 8,321 6,300 8,535 8,712 
			 1991 9,866 8,183 7,450 8,814 6,787 8,880 9,050 
			 1992 10,242 8,547 7,632 9,217 7,163 9,236 9,404 
			 1993 10,834 8,927 7,978 9,614 7,610 9,671 9,852 
			 1994 11,441 9,311 8,393 10,168 8,114 10,170 10,372 
			 1995 11,918 9,828 8,900 10,818 8,654 10,619 10,842 
			 1996 12,761 10,351 9,240 11,162 8,964 11,185 11,462 
			 1997(26) 13,634 11,008 9,562 11,429 9,507 11,871 12,118 
			 1998(26) 14,510 11,447 10,063 12,117 9,754 12,548 12,750 
			 1999(26) 15,098 11,782 10,449 12,512 10,050 12,972 13,213 
		
	
	(26) Provisional

National Insurance (Armed Forces)

Steve Webb: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the periods in the last 30 years where the National Insurance Contributions regime for armed forces personnel were different to those that applied to ordinary employees, listing in each case (a) whether such arrangements were (i) voluntary and (ii) compulsory, (b) what rates of contribution applied, (c) whether separate rules applied to (i) men and (ii) women and (d) what benefits accrued in respect of these contributions.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 29 October 2002
	Prior to 6 April 1996 serving members of Her Majesty's Forces paid National Insurance contributions at a reduced rate. The contributions paid built up entitlement to all contributory benefits although Contributory Jobseekers Allowance and Incapacity Benefit are not payable to serving members of Her Majesty's Forces. The amount of the reductions, which were compulsory, are shown in the table below.
	
		
			  Reduction in weekly primary (flat rate) NICs  
			 Dates Men over 18 Women over 18 Men under 18 Women under 18 
		
		
			 2 October 1972 to 30 September 1973 0.11 0.08 0.06 0.05 
			 1 October 1973 to 4 August 1974 0.09 0.07 0.05 0.04 
			 5 August 1974 to 5 April 1975 0.07 0.05 0.05 0.04 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage Reduction in Primary NICs 
			 Dates Standard Rate Reduced Rate 
		
		
			 6 April 1975 to 
			 5 April 1978 0.8 0.2 
			 6 April 1978 to 
			 5 April 1982 0.7 0.15 
			 6 April 1982 to 
			 5 April 1984 1.05 0.5 
			 6 April 1984 to 
			 5 April 1988 0.9 0.9 
			 6 April 1988 to 
			 5 April 1989 0.8 0.8 
			 6 April 1989 to 
			 5 April 1990 0.65 0.65 
			 6 April 1990 to 
			 5 April 1991 0.7 0.7 
			 6 April 1991 to 
			 5 April 1992 0.6 0.6 
			 6 April 1992 to 
			 5 April 1993 0.4 0.4 
			 6 April 1993 to 
			 5 April 1995 0.5 0.5 
			 6 April 1995 to 
			 5 April 1996 0.4 0.4

Savings Ratio

James Clappison: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to increase the amount per capita that is saved ahead of retirement each year in the UK economy.

Ruth Kelly: There are a range of policies in place to encourage and enable people to save in pensions. We will publish a Pensions Green Paper later this year.

Working Families Tax Credit

Kevin McNamara: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a person is eligible for working families tax credit, when reapplying, if their average weekly hours worked falls below the 16 hour threshold as a result of the person taking two weeks' paid leave.

Dawn Primarolo: If average weekly hours worked fall below the 16 hour threshold, then a person is not eligible to claim WFTC. Where a person has a Xrecognised cycle of work" then any periods of paid leave are omitted from the calculation of average hours worked.
	Where there is no Xrecognised period of work" then the actual hours worked in the five weeks preceding the date of claim are used to calculate eligibility. Longer periods of time preceding the week of the claim may be looked at if this enables the person's average weekly hours to be determined more accurately.

Working Families Tax Credit

Laurence Robertson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to simplify the claim form for working families tax credit; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: From April 2003 Working Families' Tax Credit (WFTC), Disabled Person's Tax Credit (DPTC) and Children's Tax Credit will be replaced by Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit.
	The forms for claiming the current tax credits are being replaced by one new form.
	Filling in the form is a one-off exercise to get people into the new system. Renewal forms will include much of the information already provided by the claimant(s), so people will only have to update or confirm their circumstances and report their last year's income, rather than fill in a form starting from scratch.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Civil Relationships Registration

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the progress of her Department's review on registration of civil relationships.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 31 October 2002
	Civil partnership registration, and associated rights and responsibilities, raise a number of complex issues which have prompted a growing debate within society. The Government are watching this debate with interest.
	These issues have potentially significant financial and administrative implications. The Government are now examining the issues in detail. My Department co-ordinates this work across all those Government Departments that have an interest.
	The Government cannot determine its response to any proposal for change before the completion of this work.

Civil Relationships Registration

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the United Kingdom's foreign direct investment share of the EU was in 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: Figures for 2001 published in September by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) confirm the UK's premier position in Europe. The UK had $496,776 million stock of inward investment, second only to the US. I welcome the UNCTAD findings. These reflect the hard work done by My Noble Friend the Minister for Trade and Investment, Invest-UK in British Trade International and the Regional Development Agencies in seeking out inward investment in these more difficult conditions and promoting the UK as a top venue. A recent example of this work is the announcement by the ICT Group of Pennsylvania of plans to open a new customer contact centre in Uxbridge, West London creating over 200 jobs.

Beryllium

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 22 October, Official Report, column 247W, on beryllium, what written assurances were given in relation to the use of beryllium by the University of Sciences and Technology in Iran.

Nigel Griffiths: The written assurances that were given in relation to the use of beryllium by the University of Science and Technology were consistent with the model format published on the Department of Trade and Industry's Export Control Organisation website.
	The website address is http://www.dti.gov.uk/export.control

Citizens Advice Scotland

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the recent Quinquennial Review of Citizens Advice Scotland.

Melanie Johnson: The review, which started in December 2001, was recently completed and the subsequent report produced by our consultants was extremely positive about both CAS and the CAB service in Scotland. The report concluded that CAS is an organisation that represents significant value for money, has seen a radical improvement in its governance and organisation over the last five years and is making a very useful contribution in terms of the modernisation and e-Government agendas.
	The review demonstrates that both CAS and the CAB service make a significant and positive contribution to individuals and communities in Scotland and Government in all areas and are performing well. The report gives some useful examples of this contribution.
	I am arranging for a comprehensive summary of the report, its findings and recommendations to be made available on the DTI website. Copies of the full report will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Commercial Kiosk Service, Cornwall

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the trials will begin in Cornwall of the new Commercial Kiosk Service; how long the trial is due to last; which companies will be providing the (a) hardware, (b) software and (c) training of staff; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The hon. Member should approach e-Daily, the company behind the proposed commercial kiosk pilots, in order to obtain information about its plans.
	The company's address is:
	The Lansdowne Building
	2 Lansdowne Road
	Croydon
	Surrey CR9 2ER
	(Tel: 07949 189330)

Exhibitions Abroad

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the (a) budget allocation and (b) staff allocation is for the Support at Exhibitions and Seminars Abroad section; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: Trade Partners UK's International Business Schemes run the Support for Exhibitions and Seminars Abroad (SESA) scheme, the Inward Mission scheme and a programme to improve sponsor performance. It has a total budget of #20 million for the financial year 2002/2003 and a staff allocation of 26.5.

Expo 2000

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what costs were incurred relating to the British pavilion at Expo 2000; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The Government provided #7.5 million to fund the UK pavilion at Expo 2000 in Hanover.
	The UK pavilion attracted 2.6 million visitors over five months and took 1,242 trade enquiries. The pavilion itself was designed to have an after-life in the spirit of Expo's theme of sustainability.

Export Development Counsellors

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many export development counsellors recruited from the private sector were in place in (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000 and (d) 2000–01; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The number of export development counsellors in post is as follows:
	1997–98: 78
	1998–99: 87
	1999–2000: 83
	2000–01: 86
	The current number of international trade advisers from the private sector (formerly export development counsellors) in post is 123.

Export Market Information Centre

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the (a) operating costs and (b) number of visits were for the Export Market Information Centre in London is in (i) 1997–98, (ii) 1998–99, (iii) 1999–2000 and (iv) 2000–01; what research of customers took place in each of those years; what costs were incurred by that research; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: Operating costs (including Information Resources) and visitor numbers for the years in question were as follows:
	
		
			  Approximate costs (000) (Running costs and information resources) Personal Visitors 
		
		
			 1997 to 1998 1,423 24,067 
			 1998 to 1999 1,151 22,597 
			 1999 to 2000 1,298 18,167 
			 2000 to 2001 (27)1,974 12,332 
		
	
	(27) In 2000–01 the Export Market Information Centre was renamed the Trade Partners UK Information Centre and Enquiry Service with the additional role of handling telephone and e-mail enquiries for the organisation. The new unit handled over 36,000 telephone enquiries and 3,000 e-mails in 2000–2001, or a total of 50,000 transactions, the highest figure since 1997–1998.
	Customer Surveys were conducted on behalf of the Centre in December 1997, November 1998 and November 1999. The total cost of the three surveys was approximately 60,000.

General Agreement on Trade in Services

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with the Scottish Executive on the impact of GATS on health services in Scotland;
	(2)  what procedures she has put in place to ascertain the views of the health service in Scotland on the possible impact of GATS;
	(3)  what discussions she has had with (a) the Scottish Executive and (b) principals and vice chancellors of Scottish universities on the impact of GATS on universities and other institutes of higher education in Scotland.

Patricia Hewitt: Public services (i.e. services supplied in the exercise of governmental authority) such as in health and education are excluded from the GATS. The GATS defines these as services supplied neither on a commercial basis nor in competition with other service suppliers. For services within the scope of the GATS (that is, those supplied by the private sector), countries can choose in which sectors to make, or not make, commitments and any limitations or conditions they wish to impose.
	The United Kingdom has already made GATS commitments, allowing foreign companies to provide private services in the UK in the health and education area. The Government have made clear to the House in the past that we will not make further commitments that could call into question our continued ability to maintain public health and education services.
	My Department has recently issued a consultation document inviting views on requests for liberalisation of services that we have received in the current round of GATS negotiations. The document was drawn up in close co-operation with the Departments of Health, and Education and Skills, with input from the Scottish Executive and other devolved Administrations. Comments are requested by 3 January 2003. My noble Friend the Minister for Trade and Investment has written to all Members drawing attention to this consultation. The document is available on the DTI website www.dti .gov.uk/worldtrade/service.htm and printed copies are being placed in the Libraries of the House.
	DTI and DFES officials are in close contact with universities and higher education institutions and the Scottish Executive is also keeping in touch with Universities Scotland on issues related to GATS.

Government Expenditure

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much of the Government funding of #35.1 million over four years in the 1998–99 publication Trade and Industry, The Government's Expenditure Plans, Sectoral Activities section 1.2 has been (a) allocated and (b) spent; which projects received funding, with the amount allocated per project; which projects were refused funding; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: In May 1997, the Government allocated #35.1 million to the 186 winning bids which resulted from the sector challenge initiative. The budget was derived from both DTI's own funds and contributions from other Government Departments. The winning projects were recommended for support by an independent assessment panel and represented #109.5 million in total budget costs.
	The winning bids were judged by their respective bidders to be focused on:
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 People/skills issues 65 
			 Improving access to markets 64 
			 The better exploitation of technology 55 
			 Improving access to finance 11 
			 Representation at trade fairs 4 
		
	
	To reduce the burden on business, the competition was divided into an outline and a full proposal stage. Some 605 outlines were received by the deadline of 13 November 1996. These were judged by an independent assessment panel against the criteria of impact, strategic fit, relevance, quality of content, partnership, value for money, additionality, financial viability and credibility.
	340 bids were encouraged to proceed to the full bid stage and 307 full bids were received. From these, the 186 winners were selected.

Information Society Technologies Programme

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made by the Information Society Technologies programme; what costs have been incurred since its start up broken down by financial year; what the budget allocated was in each financial year; when the programme is due to finish; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Information Society Technologies programme within the EU's Fifth Framework Programme (FP5)—which finished in June 2002—was allocated a budget of Euro3.6 billion for the period 1998–2002. This budget, for the purpose of encouraging innovative research, development and demonstration projects in the 1ST area, has now been exhausted and UK companies, in competition with all other member and associated states, have won over #300 million of financial support (around 14 per cent. of the total disbursed) thereby meeting the target set in the 1998 Competitiveness White Paper to stimulate 'strong UK participation in the EU's Framework programmes'.
	The indicative budget allocations for each year of FP5 were:
	
		
			  Euro billion 
		
		
			 1999 1.31 
			 2000 1.00 
			 2001 0.85 
			 2002 0.37 
		
	
	During the lifetime of the Fifth Framework Programme DTI funded the UK/SHELP service to provide a website, helpline, national contact point, literature and programme of promotional events to help UK organisations make successful applications for funding support. The annual cost of providing this service was:
	
		
			  #000 
		
		
			 November 1998 to March 2000 705 
			 April 2000 to March 2001 511 
			 April 2001 to March 2002 539 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 441 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures include VAT.
	The EU will be launching the Sixth Framework Programme in November 2002. IST will again have a budget of 3.6 billion to cover the period 2002–06. DTI officials are currently considering how best to support UK organisations hoping to access this budget beyond March 2003.
	DTI is ensuring that UK organisations have early access to all available information about the development of the FP6—by posting information on the UK/SHELP website (http://www.ukishelp.co.uk), holding information events and undertaking a programme of awareness-raising company visits.
	The Libraries of the House have copies of recently written case studies about successful projects in the IST area, funded under previous European programmes, which demonstrate the potential gains ('European Programme Funding—Case Studies in Information Society Technologies').

Iran

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the level of (a) exports to and (b) imports from Iran was in 2001–02; and what steps she is taking to expand this trade.

Patricia Hewitt: UK exports of goods to Iran in 2001 were worth #432 million while imports from Iran were worth #28 million. In the eight-month period from January to August 2002 UK exports of goods amounted to #283 million. UK imports were #26 million.
	UK exports of services to Iran in 2001 totalled #126 million, imports from Iran were worth #31 million.
	Trade Partners UK, including the commercial team at the embassy in Tehran, offers a strong package of support for British companies wishing to do business with Iran. In addition to providing up to date information on market conditions, they support a programme of trade missions to the market, help British groups attend key trade fairs, organise inward missions and provide targeted assistance to UK companies in key sectors.

Iron and Steel Employees Benefits Scheme

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent on the Iron and Steel Employees Re-adaptation Benefits Scheme in (a) 1998–99, (b) 1999–00 and (c) 2002–01; what the budget is for 2001–02; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: The current Iron and Steel Employees Re-adaptation Scheme (ISERBS) was introduced in May 2001 and the following amounts have been paid to eligible redundant steel industry workers:
	
		
			  # 
		
		
			 2001 to 2002 20,182,240 
			 2002 to2003 (28)8,637,920 
		
	
	(28) by 12 November
	of which approximately 45 per cent will be recouped from the European Commission The Government will continue to make ISERBS payments to eligible individuals as necessary.
	Payments relating to the earlier ISERBS scheme, terminated in 1994, but under which there was residual commitment to pay a small number of individuals who attained entitlement in 1994 but whose redundancy was delayed, were as follows:
	
		
			  # 
		
		
			 1998 to 1999 193,689 
			 1990 to 2000 103,713 
			 2000 to 2001 NIL

Ironbridge Power Station

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with PowerGen over the future of coal-fired power stations in England, with particular reference to Ironbridge Power Station.

Brian Wilson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary for Trade and Industry has not had any recent discussions with Powergen about the future of Ironbridge or other coal fired powered power stations in England.

Joint Export Promotion Directorate

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) DTI, (b) FCO, (c) other Government Departments, (d) secondees and (e) other staff work within the Joint Export Promotion Directorate; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The Joint Export Promotion Directorate no longer exists. It is incorporated into British Trade International (BTI) in May 1999. BTI is the joint DTI and FCO body responsible for trade development and promotion of inward investment. The breakdown of staff currently working for British Trade International is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of staff 
		
		
			 DTI (HQ) 704 
			 FCO (HQ) 52 
			 OGD plus Government Office 162 
			 Secondees 75 
			 Overseas in staff years 1,522 
			 UK 161

Process Improvement Master Class

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what (a) financial and (b) other support was provided for the Process Improvement Master Class in (i) 1998–99, (ii) 1999–00 and (iii) 2000–01; what budget there is for 2001–02; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The Process Improvement Master Class (PIMC) is one of the products offered by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Industry Forum, whose remit is to help small and medium enterprises improve their productivity. PIMC was developed for the automotive sector, but has also been used in the aerospace sector.
	The amount of financial support provided for PIMC by my Department is shown in the table:
	
		
			  # million 
		
		
			 1998–99 1.391 
			 1999–2000 1.613 
			 2000–01 2.298 
			 2001–02 1.317 
		
	
	My Department also provided a secondee, at HEO level, to SMMT Industry Forum over this period.

Productivity Gap

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the progress she is making on putting policies in place to narrow the productivity gap relative to other industrialised countries.

Patricia Hewitt: Following the reviews of my Department's priorities and structure and business support, major changes in the Department took place in April this year geared to focusing policies more effectively on raising the UK's competitiveness and productivity, in particular by focussing on successful businesses, world class science and innovation, and fair markets,
	As part of the evidence base used to monitor progress I have also published on 15 October-the XProductivity and competitiveness indicators—update 2002". This publication benchmarks the UK's performance in each of the five drivers of productivity against that of our competitors.

Rural Transfer Advisors

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many rural transfer advisors are in place; what plans she has to increase this number; what their objectives are; who is managing them; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: There are currently 31 rural transfer advisers (28 full time equivalent.) They have been appointed by Post Office Limited (POL) to prevent avoidable closures in the rural network. Rural transfer advisers are employees of POL Staffing levels are a matter for POL, dti Department of Trade and Industry

Small Business Service

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle), of 22 October 2002, Official Report, column 248W, on the Small Business Service, which of the targets to be achieved by 31 October have been met.

Nigel Griffiths: The SBS launched the XBridges" community development venture fund early in May 2002.
	The six Investment Readiness demonstration projects were under way by September 2002.
	A National Start-up Forum has been established and considered an outline Action Plan at its first meeting in September. The forum will consider a final version at its second meeting in November with a view to publication of the Action Plan in December.
	The SBS strategy for the years 2003–04 to 2005–06 will be published in November.

Trade Fairs (Promotion)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what programmes she has to promote and disseminate information about forthcoming trade fairs and exhibitions in the UK to potential trade visitors from overseas; and how much such programmes have cost in the past 12 months.

Patricia Hewitt: Trade Partners UK (TPUK) promotes forthcoming trade fairs and exhibitions in the UK through the trade fairs and exhibitions website, which is managed by Exhibition Audience Audit (EAA) and sponsored by TPUK at a cost of #2,025 per quarter (#8,100 per year). The website offers a comprehensive listing of all the consumer, public, industrial and trade exhibitions to be held in major venues around the UK.
	The monthly TPUK magazine Overseas Trade, distributed to some 36,000 business readers around the world, includes a page of diary dates with a specific section on UK-based events. The annual budget for the magazine is #240,000.
	The TPUK Inward Mission Scheme is another effective way of strengthening UK activity overseas. It enables overseas buyers, journalists and business leaders to visit the UK's trade fairs, exhibitions and individual businesses. The annual cost of this scheme is some #400,000.

TRIPS Implementation

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans the Government have to extend the TRIPS implementation deadlines for all developing countries.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 30 October 2002
	The TRIPS agreement lays down procedures for extending implementation deadlines for the Least Developed Countries (LDC). The general implementation deadline is 2005 but an extension to 2016 was agreed for pharmaceutical products at the WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha. There is no specific mechanism for extending TRIPS implementation deadlines for all developing countries.
	The UK Government work through the EU on issues relating to the TRIPS agreement. The UK Government support the development of objective criteria to form the basis upon which extensions of TRIPS transition periods should be agreed. The UK Government therefore support the introduction into TRIPS of a mechanism for extending transition periods for individual developing countries.

Work Permits (IT Workers)

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many work permit holders given leave to enter the United Kingdom in (a) 2000 and (b) 2001 were employed in the IT sector; and what proportion of IT workers employed were admitted for the purpose of taking up a job in the sector.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	The total number of work permits issued in respect of information technology (IT) workers in 2000 and 2001 is 18,257 and 26,870 respectively, of which 12,548 and 15,976 respectively were issued prior to entry to the United Kingdom. Labour Force Survey figures for the total number of people employed in computer services are 500,000 in 2000 and 547,000 in 2001.

Pharmacy Dispensing Contracts

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average value of a pharmacy dispensing contract when traded between owners has been in the last two years.

Jacqui Smith: I have been asked to reply. 
	The information requested is not collected centrally.